Gottschalk John R JOHN 1 N559RD

Summary

On 25 July 2011 at about 17:45 local time, a Gottschalk John R JOHN 1 registered N559RD, operated by Paul Minear, was involved in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 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

25 July 2011 at 17:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Wittman Regional Airport (OSH)

Coordinates

44.0094, -88.5504

Aircraft

Gottschalk John R JOHN 1

Registration

N559RD

Category

Gyrocraft

Engines

1

Operator

Paul Minear

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oshkosh → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA506

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which led to the power required exceeding the power available and resulted in a loss of lift and subsequent hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the initial climb after takeoff, the gyroplane reached about 75 to 100 feet above ground level when it started to settle. He reported that the gyroplane was not creating enough lift to clear the trees located near the west end of the runway and that he did not have enough airspeed or altitude to turn around. The gyroplane continued to lose altitude and the pilot performed a forced landing to an area that was clear of people and cars. The gyroplane landed hard and subsequently rolled onto its right side. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.