Calidus accident at La Verne, California 3.9.22

[Steve_UK]

Local news media report a Calidus accident at Brackett Field airport, La Verne California on Sat 3rd September 2022 - pilot reported with mnior injuries


more here

Pilot injured in gyrocopter crash at La Verne airport

Brackett Field Airport reopened to aircraft traffic a few hours after the crash.

www.pe.com

 

[DavePA11]

Looks like he smashed the canopy to get out. Glad he as able to find the tool to smash it and there was no fire... Always my concern having fire in gyro and in canopy design how to smash it to get out.

 

[Abid]

Oh British date format. I thought this was a March 9, 2022 accident. Its September 3rd, 2022 accident. He landed near intersection, did not slow down and turned on towards the taxi way.

 

[Kevin_Richey]

Interesting scrape-like marks on the underside (nearest to the leading edge) of the rotorblade closest to the camera lens.

The opposite RB sure has an extreme angle upward bend of the tip...suggests a severe angle @ contact w/ the runway? Possibly an extreme nose-high, cyclic fully back when rotor hit? That sounds more plausible to me than such an extreme angle to the side of the machine. The apparent lack of body damage to the cockpit might also suggest that.

 

[Steve_UK]

another local media report suggests it was taxying at the time

Plane Goes Down at Brackett Field Airport in La Verne Causing Closure

A single aircraft taxiing at the Brackett Field Airport rolled over on the runway causing damage.

www.nbclosangeles.com

 

[Kevin_Richey]

Oh British date format. I thought this was a March 9, 2022 accident. Its September 3rd, 2022 accident

I think most of the rest of the world uses that format. Is it only the US that has it backwards WRT month & date?

I remember our teachers in grade school (1960s) telling us kids that the USA would shortly be changing over to the metric system, in order to join the rest of the modern world!

 

[Kevin_Richey]

another local media report suggests it was taxying at the time

Plane Goes Down at Brackett Field Airport in La Verne Causing Closure

A single aircraft taxiing at the Brackett Field Airport rolled over on the runway causing damage.

www.nbclosangeles.com

That second photo shows the shaved prop & the "N"#.
Owner from Pomona, CA. Possibly 83 yrs. of age...
Taxying? At what speed? Normal taxi speeds don't have aircraft flopping over on their sides. An airfoil that lifts the aircraft's weight (propelled by engine power) is responsible for it getting airborne.

 

[Abid]

I think most of the rest of the world uses that format. Is it only the US that has it backwards WRT month & date?

I remember our teachers in grade school (1960s) telling us kids that the USA would shortly be changing over to the metric system, in order to join the rest of the modern world!

Yeah that didn't happen. When I migrated and even in college everything was metric units and then you get out in the US industry, and nothing is metric. Now I really have to convert things to think in metric

 

[PeterFromLA]

Let's kill all specullations... The pilot landed on Rwy. 26 with wind from 120 @ 8 knots - slight tailwind and around 6 knots crosswind. The landing was solid and no problems there, but he did not come to a complete stop before deciding to take the neared exit at taxyway "D" to the left. Stick was fully forward before the turn was attempted. Soon after the turn to the left started he realized the gyro was tilting to the right, and immediatelly tried to correct... it was too late and the gyro flipped. Maybe the crosswind contributed a little, maybe the tailwind was a factor too.

 

[Vance]

Let's kill all specullations... The pilot landed on Rwy. 26 with wind from 120 @ 8 knots - slight tailwind and around 6 knots crosswind. The landing was solid and no problems there, but he did not come to a complete stop before deciding to take the neared exit at taxyway "D" to the left. Stick was fully forward before the turn was attempted. Soon after the turn to the left started he realized the gyro was tilting to the right, and immediatelly tried to correct... it was too late and the gyro flipped. Maybe the crosswind contributed a little, maybe the tailwind was a factor too.

Thank you for the details Peter. It likely saved a lot of speculation.

 

[Kevin_Richey]

Let's kill all specullations... The pilot landed on Rwy. 26 with wind from 120 @ 8 knots - slight tailwind and around 6 knots crosswind. The landing was solid and no problems there, but he did not come to a complete stop before deciding to take the neared exit at taxyway "D" to the left. Stick was fully forward before the turn was attempted. Soon after the turn to the left started he realized the gyro was tilting to the right, and immediatelly tried to correct... it was too late and the gyro flipped. Maybe the crosswind contributed a little, maybe the tailwind was a factor too.

Thanks, Peter. It is very nice that gyro-versed people, such as yourself, can quickly offer the facts for an accident, instead of waiting years for a half-explanation from the NTSB that it was something like the pilot failed to keep the rotor speed up...

But...even if the stick WAS fully forward as claimed by the pilot b/4 the turn was initiated, it makes sense that the rotor disc was tilted a bit off to the right as that turn was started. The crosswind as well as the tailwind components can easily push a gyro over when the rotors are still turning fast enough for lift.

Speculations such as how fast was the ground speed upon initiation of that turn & how fast were the rotors still spinning @ are legitimate questions.

And, is this another case of elderly pilot statistics (from the aviation insurance industry), that is also plaguing the gyroplane community as well as fixed wing?

I'm not reveling that the pilot had an accident. I'm selfish in that I want to learn all I can from all gyroplane accidents in order to not repeat them myself in the future.

 

[Vance]

My E6B shows runway two six with winds of one two zero degrees at eight knots makes for a tail wind of component of around six knots and a cross wind component of around five knots with the wind from the left.

My tower does not change runways with a tail wind component of less than seven knots.

I have had clients forget the rotor is near flight rpm and be careless with the disk angle.

I had a client tip over his Cavalon this way on his second solo flight.

 

[EI-GYRO]

Oh British date format. I thought this was a March 9, 2022 accident. Its September 3rd, 2022 accident. He landed near intersection, did not slow down and turned on towards the taxi way.

You meant, Everywhere-else-except-the-U.S date format.

 

[Abid]

Let's kill all specullations... The pilot landed on Rwy. 26 with wind from 120 @ 8 knots - slight tailwind and around 6 knots crosswind. The landing was solid and no problems there, but he did not come to a complete stop before deciding to take the neared exit at taxyway "D" to the left. Stick was fully forward before the turn was attempted. Soon after the turn to the left started he realized the gyro was tilting to the right, and immediatelly tried to correct... it was too late and the gyro flipped. Maybe the crosswind contributed a little, maybe the tailwind was a factor too.

The rotor RPM then must have been decently high? This is another reason the landing needs to be with coming to almost a stop with nose wheel up and then as rotor RPM decays the nose wheel comes down smoothly and once rotor RPM decays below 240 rotor RPM or thereabouts, smoothly push the stick all the way forward to kill any rotor thrust off. Basics. Again, this is similar to airplanes and trikes. You keep the stick back protecting the nose wheel till it comes down smoothly at slowest possible speed. If you are sloppy in airplanes, in tri-gear ones you may get away with it. In taildraggers you don't keep that stick back and keep that tailwheel planted your sloppy technique will bite you. So, this isn't about its different in airplanes. It's simply the case of you are a sloppy pilot in airplanes and your bad habits show up clearly in tailwheels and gyroplanes.

 

[Abid]

You meant, Everywhere-else-except-the-U.S date format.

Well we do have "World" champions in American Football. Never mind that no one else really plays it

 

[Greg Vos]

Let's kill all specullations... The pilot landed on Rwy. 26 with wind from 120 @ 8 knots - slight tailwind and around 6 knots crosswind. The landing was solid and no problems there, but he did not come to a complete stop before deciding to take the neared exit at taxyway "D" to the left. Stick was fully forward before the turn was attempted. Soon after the turn to the left started he realized the gyro was tilting to the right, and immediatelly tried to correct... it was too late and the gyro flipped. Maybe the crosswind contributed a little, maybe the tailwind was a factor too.

I blame his instructor, a good instructor nips in the bud a fast taxi speed …its the instructors job to introduce airmanship early in a flying career or hobby, good ‘drilled in’ habits that are practised and enforced will stay with a pilot.
This type of expensive accident adds fuel to the fire we face when it comes to annual insurance policies and getting cover and can easily be avoided by demonstrating a good dicipline not only in the air but on the apron, in the hanger …

At 60 I still feel and execute the habits we were taught during our first few months during basic military training …those basic disciplines will stay with me for life ….it should be the same with flight training …sadly I see many instructors who just don’t give damn ( they smoke during refueling, they are the students big chommie ) that casual relationship early in one’s flying career while being nice and cosy comes back to bite and we see it all the time …on many threads we read about the guys who cannot land a Gyroplane and who cannot demonstrate the industry standard landing technique ( keep,the nose wheel off the ground until the aircraft has stopped then lower the nose) yet these same instructors issue the licence and annual renewal…

 

[Abid]

I blame his instructor, a good instructor nips in the bud a fast taxi speed …its the instructors job to introduce airmanship early in a flying career or hobby, good ‘drilled in’ habits that are practised and enforced will stay with a pilot.
This type of expensive accident adds fuel to the fire we face when it comes to annual insurance policies and getting cover and can easily be avoided by demonstrating a good dicipline not only in the air but on the apron, in the hanger …

At 60 I still feel and execute the habits we were taught during our first few months during basic military training …those basic disciplines will stay with me for life ….it should be the same with flight training …sadly I see many instructors who just don’t give damn ( they smoke during refueling, they are the students big chommie ) that casual relationship early in one’s flying career while being nice and cosy comes back to bite and we see it all the time …on many threads we read about the guys who cannot land a Gyroplane and who cannot demonstrate the industry standard landing technique ( keep,the nose wheel off the ground until the aircraft has stopped then lower the nose) yet these same instructors issue the licence and annual renewal…

I agree Greg. Starts with the instructor and the instructor holding standards for fundamentals.
I honestly used to shy away from gyroplanes and slowly it has become painfully clear to me that there is nothing inherently wrong with the gyroplane concept. It is the pilot and mainly instruction in this category of aircraft has been at a lower level than other categories. Also at least in the US the average age of incoming gyroplane pilot is higher than in airplanes or even trikes (other LSA).

 

[Resasi]

A good reminder to us older long time fix-wing/early rotors newbies to remain extra vigilant on our newer gyro procedures.

 

[WaspAir]

You meant, Everywhere-else-except-the-U.S date format.

The most sensible date format I ever saw was in a music encyclopedia. September 3, 2022 would be shown as,:

03 IX 2022


Not only is it impossible to confuse month and day, but it works for any language to use Roman numerals one through twelve instead of month names.

 

[chrisk]

I was almost certain it was a medical issue.