Fatal - Magni M22 Voyager 79-EP / ELA 10 Eclipse 79-LH, Saint-Georges-de-Rex, Deux-Sevres, France 29 JUL 2018

[Tyger]

https://france3-regions.francetvinfo...s-1519368.html

"Selon des témoins, deux autogires, sortes d'ULM motorisés et dotés d'hélice, se sont percutés en vol à hauteur de la commune de Saint-George-de-Rex, au milieu de parcelles de blé. Au sol, on distingue à peine les deux carcasses des appareils qui se sont embrasés après le choc."

"According to witnesses, two autogyros, a kind of ultralight with a rotor, crashed into each other in flight above St-George-de-Rex, in the midst of wheat fields. On the ground, it was difficult to tell apart the remains of the two machines, which caught fire after the impact" (apologies for my meager translation skills).

I had never heard of an in-flight collision of two gyros before...

 

[C. Beaty]

The president of RAF-Canada, Dan Hasseloh, was killed in a collision with another gyro in 1987.

 

[Jerry_Forest]

Here's some more info using google translate on the news link from http://gyroaccidents.blogspot.com/ (thanks to Steve_UK).

Two gyrocopters crashed in the south of Deux-Sèvres causing two casualties

The tragedy took place on the morning of Sunday, July 29th. Two gyrocopters, a kind of ULM with propeller, crashed in the town of Saint-Georges-de-Rex (79). The pilots of both aircraft died.
By Yleanna RobertPosted on 29/07/2018 at 14:34 Updated on the 30/07/2018 at 11:35
It is a dramatic aircraft accident that took place around 11am this Sunday, July 29 in the Deux-Sèvres.

According to witnesses, two gyrocopters, a kind of motorized and propelled ultralight ULM, crashed into flight in the commune of Saint-George-de-Rex, in the middle of plots of wheat. On the ground, the two bodies are scarcely distinguishable from the devices that ignited after the impact.

Firefighters and gendarmes were quickly alerted. The Mayor of Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud, Dany Brémaud, says:

"We had an alert concerning a crash of aircraft that crashed. When we arrived there, there was nothing left to do, it was nothing more than smoking carcasses. The pilots of both gyroplanes are dead.
An investigation was opened by the gendarmes of Frontenay-Rohan-Rohan to know the reasons for this tragedy. It should be taken over by the brigade of gendarmerie of air transport, based in Bordeaux".

 

[Doug Riley]

Many years ago, Ed Alderfer was involved in a gyro-to-gyro midair. Ed managed to bring his craft down safely, but the other gyro pilot did not.

 

[Brian Jackson]

Doug,

Do you recall when/where? Simply curious. Ed gave me my first gyro ride at the Brookville, Ohio PRA convention in '91 in his SxS AC.

 

[Tyger]

The president of RAF-Canada, Dan Hasseloh, was killed in a collision with another gyro in 1987.

Hard to find much information on that one, but it seems like it was more like 1998?

 

[C. Beaty]

I think you’re right, -1998 sounds more like it.

 

[Doug Riley]

Bryan: I don't recall where Ed's accident took place. IIR, he was flying his TRAG --a triple-masted tank of a tractor gyro with a Scorpion body. Its beefy construction may have saved his life (he seemed to have nine of them).

Ed gave me one of the check rides and signoffs I needed to become a gyro BFI. I flew with him, both in his SxS gyro and in formation with him in mine, a few times at flyins. Heck of a nice guy.

 

[Tyger]

Bryan: I don't recall where Ed's accident took place. IIR, he was flying his TRAG --a triple-masted tank of a tractor gyro with a Scorpion body. Its beefy construction may have saved his life (he seemed to have nine of them).

https://sites.google.com/site/stingrayslistofrotorcraft/alderfer-tractor-gyroplane

 

[Doug Riley]

That's the one.

 

[Alan_Cheatham]

Alderfer accident:

http://planecrashmap.com/plane/oh/N63EA/

 

[Jerry_Forest]

Finally found some info on the Dan Haseloh RAF 2000 mid air collision from this link:
http://sportflyingforum.com/accidents.php

6th June 1998 - Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada - Middair collision between two RAF 2000 GT gyrocopters - fatal. A summary of the official report states, "The two aircraft went overdue from a local VFR flight north of Kindersley airport, Sask. The wreckage of the two gyrocopters was eventually located about 7 NM north of the airport by a farmer. The two aircraft collided in the air and crashed into a field. One aircraft had one pilot and one passenger (a professional photographer) on board while the other aircraft had one pilot on board. All were fatally injured. There is evidence to confirm that the rotor systems intermeshed while in flight, causing rotor break up."

They were apparently shooting an air-to-air promo video when they lost sight of each other while flying in the same direction, one above the other. One was ascending, the other descending eventually coming together. They were probably looking for each other bigtime, but in the fully enclosed gyros they were flying have a limited field of view. Two open cockpit gyros would be much less prone to this kind of accident.

Can't find the TSB report.

 

[Kevin_Richey]

Word had leaked out that there was a video of the accident from the camera being used, and was in the possession of RAF-Kindersley.
It reportedly showed the front & lower machine rapidly rising up and it's rotor disc came up into the following one's cockpit.

Sure sounds like a thermal. Those who fly gyros understand how fast of an elevator-up ride it is. I found updrafts greatly affect my altitude until I have passed through them, whereas down drafts are slight, almost like a gentle pressure downwards on the rotors.

 

[Vance]

It reads to me like a formation/photo flight that was not properly briefed or executed.

I am surprised there aren't more midair collisions of gyroplanes.

Gyroplanes are hard to see and I have found the flight path often hard to predict.

Many gyroplane pilots do not use the radio well even at events where there is a lot of traffic.

 

[TyroGyro]

FINAL REPORT

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Na9lv1hTOMY7Xxx8ki5KNsm6CqK7s4r2/view?usp=sharing [internet autotranslated]

mid-air, 78 and 67 year-old experienced pilots. The 78 year-old Magni pilot appears to have crashed into the 67 year-old ELA pilot from behind.

Mid-air collision Accident Magni M22 79-EP,

Two gyroplanes, a Magni M22 (registration 79-EP) and an ELA 10 Eclipse (registration 79-LH) took off at approximately 10:30 from the Usseau ULM base to participate in a rally at the ULM b...

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