Russell W Dyer VORTEX N425RD

Summary

On 2 December 2021 at about 19:15 local time, a Russell W Dyer VORTEX registered N425RD was involved in an accident near Lakeport, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2021 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Lakeport, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lampson Fld (1O2)

Coordinates

39.0270, -122.9072

Aircraft

Russell W Dyer VORTEX

Registration

N425RD

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2019

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22FA053

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of control for reasons that could not be determined and the delayed remedial action to recover from the power pushover event.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness reported seeing the gyroplane flying straight and level about two miles from the departure airport. The witness reported the gyroplane then tumbled tail over nose three times before he lost sight of it below the tree line. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted the heavily vegetated terrain. The smell of fuel was present at the accident site and there was no evidence of a wire or bird strike. Additionally, there were no reports of downed power lines or power outages in the accident area. Examination of the gyroplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The gyroplane was equipped with a horizontal stabilizer that remained intact. The engine was likely producing power at the time of the accident, because two of its propeller blades contacted the main rotor blades during the accident sequence. The main rotor blades sustained minimal damage, consistent with the gyroplane entering a low-rotor-rpm state for undetermined reasons before ground impact. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), FAA-H-8083-21, Chapter 21, Gyroplane Emergencies, if rotor force is rapidly removed, some gyroplanes may pitch forward abruptly into a power pushover event and if not corrected can continue to tumble and become irreversible.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.