Accident - GyroBee - N396GN - North Carolina

Steve_UK

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I'm not a pilot but have been lucky enough to fly in Mi-24 Hind, Mi-2, Mi-17, Lynx HAS3, Gliders, GA
April-23rd-2022 - Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA - Gyrobee - N396GN - The FAA ASIAS report states, " AIRCRAFT LANDED, LEFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND ROLLED ON ITS SIDE, HENDERSONVILLE, NC." - flight phase landing, injuries listed as serious, damage to gyro unknown
 
I'm very interested to learn which item failed. According to the FAA registry:
This had a Subaru engine on it. The GyroBee is designed for a Rotax 447 and can accommodate a 503. Photos of the ship would be helpful if anyone knows of any.
My wellwishes for a speedy recovery for the pilot.
 
Hate to hear this.
I have flown that gyro.
The aircraft is a 2 place drop keel parsons trainer type.
Heavy 160hp ej25
It’s not a ultralight gyobee.
Was a well built very good flying machine.
 
Hate to hear this.
I have flown that gyro.
The aircraft is a 2 place drop keel parsons trainer type.
Heavy 160hp ej25
It’s not a ultralight gyobee.
Was a well built very good flying machine.
That's good to know at least. I wonder why it was registered as a "Taggart" Gyrobee when it bore no resemblance to the original concept. Knowing how changes snowball, was there anything about this craft that looked like a Gyrobee? I haven't seen any photos of it that I know of. Thanks.
 
Thanks for the well wishes! Our virtual FAA rep made the reader imagine I was cartwheeling down the runway and barely clinging to life, despite a very detailed narrative that I provided. Landing and taxi were actually quite uneventful. I had departed the paved taxiway at Hendersonville and was parking in the grass near the museum when the left MLG separated from the frame and rapidly dumped me on my side. At the time, I assumed my left wheel had fallen into a huge, unseen hole, but none was found. Dislocated my left shoulder and sprained/twisted my left ankle in the fall. Friendly onlookers rushed over quickly to lift the gyro, pull me out and call for help. Needless to say, I didn't get to grill the meat I brought in for the cookout. And very fortunate it occurred at 2 mph on soft grass instead of on takeoff or landing! Rotor blades were already locked forward and aft, so only significant damage was a bent left control rod and some repairable gouges on the tips of the belt-driven prop. Mishap cause: bolt hole elongation on the aluminum strut and eventual failure due to repeated cycling and metal fatigue. Upon disassembly and inspection, the opposite side had initial signs of the same issue. The builder is helping me redesign the gear with thicker aluminum and a steel plate for added strength. Lesson learned (and the main reason I'm airing my laundry here): If you suspect hidden stress points on your gyro, esp. one built from scratch, conduct a disassembly and inspection for those areas after the first 50-100 hrs to check for abnormal indications. I suspect many of you already do this. That would have identified this point of failure before it became one.

We're making steady progress as time permits. Still plenty of things to check, but plan to have it back in the air next month if all goes well. Shoulder and ankle still aren't ready for prime time, so no hurry :)
 
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Thanks for the well wishes! Our virtual FAA rep made the reader imagine I was cartwheeling down the runway and barely clinging to life, despite a very detailed narrative that I provided. Landing and taxi were actually quite uneventful. I had departed the paved taxiway at Hendersonville and was parking in the grass near the museum when the left MLG separated from the frame and rapidly dumped me on my side. At the time, I assumed my left wheel had fallen into a huge, unseen hole, but none was found. Dislocated my left shoulder and sprained/twisted my left ankle in the fall. Friendly onlookers rushed over quickly to lift the gyro, pull me out and call for help. Needless to say, I didn't get to grill the meat I brought in for the cookout. And very fortunate it occurred at 2 mph on soft grass instead of on takeoff or landing! Rotor blades were already locked forward and aft, so only significant damage was a bent left control rod and some repairable gouges on the tips of the belt-driven prop. Mishap cause: bolt hole elongation on the aluminum strut and eventual failure due to repeated cycling and metal fatigue. Upon disassembly and inspection, the opposite side had initial signs of the same issue. The builder is helping me redesign the gear with thicker aluminum and a steel plate for added strength. Lesson learned (and the main reason I'm airing my laundry here): If you suspect hidden stress points on your gyro, esp. one built from scratch, conduct a disassembly and inspection for those areas after the first 50-100 hrs to check for abnormal indications. I suspect many of you already do this. That would have identified this point of failure before it became one.

We're making steady progress as time permits. Still plenty of things to check, but plan to have it back in the air next month if all goes well. Shoulder and ankle still aren't ready for prime time, so no hurry :)
Glad you are doing OK and damage was minimal. Do you have any build photos of your gear? I am interested in how yours connected to the frame to better understand what happened. Thanks.
 
Thanks for the well wishes! Our virtual FAA rep made the reader imagine I was cartwheeling down the runway and barely clinging to life, despite a very detailed narrative that I provided. Landing and taxi were actually quite uneventful. I had departed the paved taxiway at Hendersonville and was parking in the grass near the museum when the left MLG separated from the frame and rapidly dumped me on my side. At the time, I assumed my left wheel had fallen into a huge, unseen hole, but none was found. Dislocated my left shoulder and sprained/twisted my left ankle in the fall. Friendly onlookers rushed over quickly to lift the gyro, pull me out and call for help. Needless to say, I didn't get to grill the meat I brought in for the cookout. And very fortunate it occurred at 2 mph on soft grass instead of on takeoff or landing! Rotor blades were already locked forward and aft, so only significant damage was a bent left control rod and some repairable gouges on the tips of the belt-driven prop. Mishap cause: bolt hole elongation on the aluminum strut and eventual failure due to repeated cycling and metal fatigue. Upon disassembly and inspection, the opposite side had initial signs of the same issue. The builder is helping me redesign the gear with thicker aluminum and a steel plate for added strength. Lesson learned (and the main reason I'm airing my laundry here): If you suspect hidden stress points on your gyro, esp. one built from scratch, conduct a disassembly and inspection for those areas after the first 50-100 hrs to check for abnormal indications. I suspect many of you already do this. That would have identified this point of failure before it became one.

We're making steady progress as time permits. Still plenty of things to check, but plan to have it back in the air next month if all goes well. Shoulder and ankle still aren't ready for prime time, so no hurry :)

Good point made here, bringing up something I have done to the three gyros I've purchased for myself and flown to date, and one I did for Kurt C.: Tear the whole gyro down, every last nut and bolt, and rebuild it - replacing what needs attention - before my first flight. No surprise, I've come across and fixed lots of junk during these rebuilds.
 
A lad in nearby Indiana was building a Hornet from plans. He had the gyro almost completed, sat in the seat for some "stick time" and a main gear bracket twisted and slumped the gyro over. The guy walked away from the project. He said he followed the plans EXACTLY and did no longer trust the design. Sadly he walked away from gyros and was never heard from again. Lucky?
 
Who designed the Hornet? I recall the design thread being posted on the original RWF, but can't recall any being actually built and flown, let alone see one at a fly in.
 
Who designed the Hornet? I recall the design thread being posted on the original RWF, but can't recall any being actually built and flown, let alone see one at a fly in.
It is my recollection Don Shoebridge designed the Midwest Hornet as sort of a more complex GyroBee.

My recollection is that Ralph Taggart designed the GyroBee ultralight gyroplane.

It is very similar to Martin Hollmann’s Bumble Bee ultralight gyroplane design.

The gyroplane involved in the mishap that started this thread (N396GN) is not a GyroBee, is not ultralight and does not in any way follow the design of the Midwest Hornet, the GyroBee, or the Bumble Bee.

A few Midwest Hornets flew.

As a plans built ultralight I do not have an easy way to track the number completed and flown.

Leigh built and flew one with one of his boys.
 
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