Accident - Rotorsport UK MTOsport 2017 N975CD, Easton Airport, Easton, Maryland, USA 13 OCT 2023

[TyroGyro]

Accident Rotorsport UK MTOsport N975CD, Friday 13 October 2023

On October 13, 2023, at 1300 eastern daylight time, a Rotorsport Uk Ltd Mtosport 2017 gyroplane, N975CD, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Easton Airport/Ne...

aviation-safety.net

"An accident with one serious injury is reported at Easton Airport (ESN/KESN), Easton, Maryland."

 

[RogerB]

Feels like everyday I get on here there is another accident. I don’t remember it being like this with paragliding or paramotoring , just an accident every few months in season… is this normal for gyros or is this considered abnormally high?

 

[WaspAir]

My perception is that the gyro accident rate is normally higher than in the other forms of aviation I enjoy, and that the gyro fatality rate varies widely.

I have not attempted to collect data, but others here have done so. Reliable hours flown data are hard to come by.

 

[Abid]

Feels like everyday I get on here there is another accident. I don’t remember it being like this with paragliding or paramotoring , just an accident every few months in season… is this normal for gyros or is this considered abnormally high?

You are hearing of accidents in Australia, France, Germany and across the world as well.
Remember the age of the pilot in paragliding. They are much younger. I will be toasted again but look at the gyroplane accidents you are hearing of. Do any of them really sound like they had much to do with the machine? So far I have not seen a single piece of evidence that has pointed to the machine in recent accidents. Maybe that will change but much higher chances of all of these being pilot related. June, Australian gyro into power lines (fatal), July Oshkosh midair at an airshow pattern (fatal), September, Rotor blade flap on takeoff roll in Texas flipping it over, October, Loren power line strike again, October, power line strike in Europe, October, gyro roll over after landing in France, all the way to this ... they all point to pilot error or decision making to me and I am not even trying to stretch here. It is fairly clear cut.
When I got into triking, my instructor got killed shortly after training me. Literally went up 300 feet and the trike wing collapsed. The trike wing he had just bought. I was upset obviously. We inspected the wreckage and turned out he had installed training bars and forgot to put a critical pin in because his g/f called and they got into an argument and he stepped away. Since then to now I know quite a few dead pilots in light aviation. Execpt for one time, I have yet to see it be the aircraft just coming apart. It has always turned out to be the pilot. Sometimes really bad maintenance or bad fuel related but still owner/operator.
Edit: So if we/you want to increase your safety, the way is clear. Pay attention to pilot training and decision making

 

[wolfy]

It is a shame that none of the mustering hours in australia were on record to add to the hours of type flown per year.
It would definitely sway the vote, there are individuals here with 30k hours gyro.

wolfy

 

[TyroGyro]

In the "Big Three" [AG, Magni, ELA] there have been 5 fatals globally this year, out of a fleet size of >5000 machines.

The fatal rate has been in steady decline for 15 years, although there are sharp differences in the fatal rate between countries.

These differences I hypothesise are due to training, regulatory, environmental, even cultural differences between countries.

There are also significant differences between the "Big Three", I suspect related to where in the world they are concentrated.

Sadly, of the fatals, about 80% can be traced to Poor ADM, and fully 20% are due to wire-strikes [the biggest single killer].

 

[GeneralPatton]

It seems to me that flying at low altitudes is a direct threat to the safety of the pilot and aircraft. Flight rules regarding minimums for AGL clearances are made to prevent loss of life. I follow the POH of my AG Calidus, and after 400 hrs, no roll overs, blade flaps, because I was trained well to respect the power of the rotor and to manage it. Next week is my DPE visit to get my private helicopter ticket. I am 71 and find learning and flying rotorcraft a wonderful experience.
No. It is not easy. And yes, one wants to deviate from the regs, but there is a price for doing so. Risk vs. Rewards, I consider this every time I fly, take a passenger up, fly with minimum weather, ADM ! Some here remarked,” the POH and the flight rules are written in blood “ I often think about that statement, while on a flight. Whether one Is 20 or 70 the rules are the same.Good training and knowledge are the best tools I have found to be safe.I would close with Good Luck, but luck is scant resource in the air. Fly safe everyone.
Phillip

 

[smoline]

Bob Snyder is running his gyro training out of Eaton while Bay Bridge airport is closed for runway repair. Murray Synder runs a gyro flying club of 4 - 5 members with the same status.

 

[TyroGyro]

Feels like everyday I get on here there is another accident. I don’t remember it being like this with paragliding or paramotoring , just an accident every few months in season… is this normal for gyros or is this considered abnormally high?

What may be abnormal is someone assiduously collating and highlighting [factory-built] gyro accidents. Don't get too hung-upon that...

The good news is fatal accidents are on a long-term decline, and tend to be over-represented in certain countries.
The bad news is about 80% of them are avoidable and unnecessary.

The gyro could and should be the safest aircraft flying today. It beyond question was that in the time of Cierva.

 

[PJB]

It is a shame that none of the mustering hours in australia were on record to add to the hours of type flown per year.
It would definitely sway the vote, there are individuals here with 30k hours gyro.

wolfy

Is that right 30k hour gyro that is amazing. How many hours a year are these guys doing?

 

[wolfy]

Between 1 and 2k

wolfy

 

[smoline]

That was a brand new AutoGyro at Easton, with a new owner making his first departure homeward bound in his new ship. No word on his health/status.

 

[PJB]

I’

Between 1 and 2k

wolfy

that is a lot of flying - what is the typical aircraft used?

 

[Greg Vos]

I’

that is a lot of flying - what is the typical aircraft used?

It’s a lot of hours …..we fly around 50 hours a month and on certain task based flying it’s exhausting …that’s 50/hours/ month ( ..1000/ year is 83 / month odd) 2000 is double that …we are governed to a max of 90 hours a month by SA CAA legislation...some of the most experienced guys I know who have been in gyro for 20 odd years have less than 5000 hours …many airline pilots who have flown a full career with longhall sectors have 25 K hours ….30000 hours in a Gyro is …just a lot could that be a typo ?
Put that in perspective, this is 23 new 915 Rotax engines to TBO …in older Rotax the TBO was 1200/ or 1000 hours an average A recreational pilot who is active will do 50 -70 hours a year ..30000 hours in Gyroplane the guy must be a skygod of note or very old IMO

 

[RogerB]

It is a shame that none of the mustering hours in australia were on record to add to the hours of type flown per year.
It would definitely sway the vote, there are individuals here with 30k hours gyro.

wolfy

What machines are they flying?
Would be awesome to interview or hear an interview with one of them or hear them on a podcast to hear what they’ve learned over the years and the rules they follow to stay out of trouble

 

[Waddles]

Wolfy is correct. I spent some time as Ops Manager for ASRA, the Oz administrators of gyroplanes and attended an inquest some 15 years ago and under oath, a pilot told the judge that at that time he had about 26000 hours.

These guys are "under the radar" because commercial mustering here is illegal without proper CASA accreditation and the BS that goes with that. Therefore, there are no hours reported and in the vast majority of cases, pilot logbooks are not maintained. Work diaries are what are in common use. However, the maintenance on these purpose built machines is impeccable with many using 912ULS engines that operate for 3000+hours without other than oil and plug changes. They "never get cold"! A lot of operators have a brand new engine on their shelves so that when they decide that a new engine is necessary, it's just a day to be out of the air.

Most of these guys started when in their late teens, so 1000 hours per year is not impossible over a 40 year career. Remember, mustering may not necessarily be a full time occupation. It is seasonal unless the pilot moves around a lot and is prepared to muster not only cattle, but sheep and goats with the occasional foray into pigs (hogs) as well. So, in the season, 10 hours or more a day for 10 days straight is not impossible, after which he moves onto the next job.

People. These are real pros and can fly the pants off any sport pilot in the business.

Waddles.

 

[PJB]

What an amazing insight. So the 912ULS is the motor of choice - and the airframe?

 

[MilesW]

What an amazing insight. So the 912ULS is the motor of choice - and the airframe?

Single seat Rosco machines (and a small number of homebuilt Rosco clones/copies) by a country mile.
Filling out the field are the likes of Rotor Ute, Peter Green machines and Sportcopter M-912's, in no particular order.
Earlier on Challenge were a pioneer and had a pretty high penetration in the mustering market.
Engine wise, VW's, Rotax 2 strokes, then Subi's dominated before the 912, but since its arrival it is no contest.

Miles

 

[MilesW]

Would be awesome to interview or hear an interview with one of them or hear them on a podcast to hear what they’ve learned over the years and the rules they follow to stay out of trouble

Generally pretty reticent types these folk, but there are a few anecdotes available on the internet. Google "Rusty Ferguson gyrocopter" or "David Jackson gyrocopter" or "gyrocopter mustering Australia" then follow your nose. The subject has also been pretty well canvassed on this forum over the years.


Miles

 

[wolfy]

To most sport pilots the 912uls is extremely underrated, to working pilots they really are the best and only choice. they just go day in day out without even a hickup.
My biggest day on the hobbs was 11.2hrs, plus time for fueling up and having a leak and eating, so that means taking off as soon as you can see in the morning and landing sometimes with car lights lighting up the home strip. You really are in the air all day.

wolfy