Sparrowhawk II N40380

Summary

On 7 October 2020 at about 21:30 local time, a Sparrowhawk II registered N40380 was involved in an accident near North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 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

7 October 2020 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

33.8467, -78.5766

Aircraft

Sparrowhawk II

Registration

N40380

Category

Gyrocraft

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Loris → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA031

Nobody was injured.

A ruptured fuel line, which resulted in fuel starvation to the engine and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the gyrocopter reported that he departed with full fuel tanks for a local flight. While flying along a coastline, the engine lost power, and the pilot navigated to complete a forced landing on a beach. During the landing rollout, the nose wheel dug into soft sand and the gyrocopter rolled over onto its left side, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor and empennage. Postaccident examination of the gyrocopter’s engine revealed that a rubber fuel supply line was ruptured. Given this information, it is likely that the fuel leak starved the engine of fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.