Pearson SUPERFLY N975JP

Summary

On 6 August 2006 at about 20:11 local time, a Pearson SUPERFLY registered N975JP was involved in an accident near Denton, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 August 2006 at 20:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Denton, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.1211, -97.0694

Aircraft

Pearson SUPERFLY

Registration

N975JP

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake Dallas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW06CA196

Nobody was injured.

The loss of control as result of the pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A contributing factor was the muddy terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 500-hour private pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 300-hours in make and model, was landing the single-seat homebuilt gyrocraft at the edge of a dried-up lakebed. The pilot stated that he made a power-on landing to keep the weight off the landing gear. Upon touchdown, the gear broke through the thin crust and was "mired in 15 inches deep mud." The tricycle gear equipped gyrocopter tipped to the right and yawed to the left as the main rotor impacted the ground and the rotor mast was sheared at the engine mount. The Rotax powered gyrocraft came to rest on its right side and the pilot was able to egress the aircraft unassisted. The pilot reported that there were no problems with the gyro's flight controls or engine prior to the mishap. The pilot reported that the winds were calm at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.