Fatal - Magni M24 Plus N590DM, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Missouri, USA 22 MAY 2022

GyrOZprey

Aussie in Kansas.
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Aug 8, 2011
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Location
Whitewater KS
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Butterfly Aurora N5560Z / Titanium Explorer N456TE & N488TE/ - trained in MTOsport 446QT/488FB
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I saw this on PRA FB page ... a relatively new Magni Orion with 915 ...yesterday at Magni USA home base! MO.
deepest condolences to all affected!😢

...just mind-blowing ...one of the best-for low accident rate brands (in USA)!

Any more info????

 
He was a good friend of mine. Bringing his brand new Magni M24 Plus home to SD. Very careful and accomplished pilot. He apparently took off to head home to South Dakota and then called the tower and said he had to return. I will be very interested to hear the findings of the investigation.
 
Prayers for all involved. The machine bunted over. A medical issue is what is suspected. since Magni's don't have a shoulder harness, it's thought that the pilot fell forward on the stick.
Nothing appears to have been wrong with the machine. the NTSB is there today.
 
Prayers for all involved. The machine bunted over. A medical issue is what is suspected. since Magni's don't have a shoulder harness, it's thought that the pilot fell forward on the stick.
Nothing appears to have been wrong with the machine. the NTSB is there today.
The Magni M24 Plus that I have flown had 4 point harness….
 
Four-point safety belts are an option on all Magnis, including the M24 (and are required in the UK)...
 
Very sad to hear, commiserations for family and friends.

Consider 4 point/chest restraining pretty essential.
 
If he really did lose consciousness at altitude, as has been implied, I doubt 4-points would have made a difference to the outcome.
But we have not yet heard if it actually had them or not...
It was suggested as a possibility.

No, agree that it probably would not have altered the outcome...simply that in any accident a 4 point, or incorporating a chest restraint, in my opinion offers better safety for the pilot.
 
The M24 is almost certainly capable of bunting over, given its airframe layout.
 
I cannot remember one single accident with no obvious issues like blade lost or wire strikes described here on the forum (including my friend Dougs) that the first go to wasn't a "Medical" issue.
I have typed this before and will type this again.
If you look at the numbers of pilots killed in gyro accidents that we think were medical vs the number of incapacitated car driver accidents it makes absolutely no sense or possibility that all these pilots who fly for fun usually VFR and are not rushed on schedules are having "Medical" issues. just not even close to possible.

Please, please stop with the medial route and find out WHAT REALLY is killing pilots? It's a cop out and only brings false peace to the loved ones.

Is it a design feature (HTL no Stab)
Is it a manufacturer reselling used parts off a crash?
Is it a design where dissimilar metals are attacking each other in a uninspectable area?
Is there a quirk in the flight characteristics that needs to be trained for?
Are we being too "American" in our lust for "Bigger is Better" and loading gyros with engines and thrust that make them dangerous?
Are we selling these same gyros to pilots who are way to new and inexperienced to handle that power?

There is a ton more you guys can fill in the blanks.

I am sorry for the friends and family of the Doctor, take solace in knowing he died doing what he loved. No one MAKES you fly a gyro....ever.
 
I have no idea of the cause of the recent tragic accident. Sincere condolences to all affected.

However, around 4% of fatal gyro accidents [in the modern generation] are officially ascribed to probable medical events.

We know that recreational gyro pilots are mostly NOT young people, and indeed trend towards the retiree age-band.

A study of US road accidents found that:-

"Drivers 65 and older had the highest incidence rates of being involved in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies while driving, at incidence rates of 4.1 percent and 2.2 percent for drivers 65 to 74 and 75 and older, respectively...."

 
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Please, please stop with the medial route and find out WHAT REALLY is killing pilots? It's a cop out and only brings false peace to the loved ones.

Is it a design feature (HTL no Stab)
Is it a manufacturer reselling used parts off a crash?
Is it a design where dissimilar metals are attacking each other in a uninspectable area?
Is there a quirk in the flight characteristics that needs to be trained for?
Are we being too "American" in our lust for "Bigger is Better" and loading gyros with engines and thrust that make them dangerous?
Are we selling these same gyros to pilots who are way to new and inexperienced to handle that power?
If the pilot called the tower saying he needed to return urgently, it's a good bet the tower asked what the problem was. That answer might be what is leading some people to say it was a medical issue...
I am sure more will be revealed in due course.

In this instance, with a brand-new machine of a tried-and-true design, I think the first three, above, can be ruled out.
I am not of the "bigger is better" school, and I personally would be chary about putting more a powerful engine on a machine originally designed for a less powerful one.
 
Four-point safety belts are an option on all Magnis, including the M24 (and are required in the UK)...

An option? Seriously. Why?
 
He was a good friend of mine. Bringing his brand new Magni M24 Plus home to SD. Very careful and accomplished pilot. He apparently took off to head home to South Dakota and then called the tower and said he had to return. I will be very interested to hear the findings of the investigation.

I am sorry to hear this sad news. May he RIP. Please accept my condolences and prayers for your friend.
 
He was a good friend of mine. Bringing his brand new Magni M24 Plus home to SD. Very careful and accomplished pilot. He apparently took off to head home to South Dakota and then called the tower and said he had to return. I will be very interested to hear the findings of the investigation.
So sorry to hear. My condolences to all his family and friends.
My understanding is that American Magnis in general are builder assist projects completed in Italy. Was this the case in this instance, so the aircraft I assume already built and tested in Italy?
 
The Adsb signal stopped a couple of days earlier when the Magni was skirting a thunderstorm and didn’t reappear again according to Flightaware. Is there any significance to that? Maybe electrical issues in a new gyro?

Condolencias to family and friends.
 
We should try and not speculate to rule anything out nor rule anything in. We don’t even have any preliminary report, video, eye witness statement or tower transcript. All we do know is that he tried to turn around and return which means something wasn’t right.
 
The Adsb signal stopped a couple of days earlier when the Magni was skirting a thunderstorm and didn’t reappear again according to Flightaware. Is there any significance to that? Maybe electrical issues in a new gyro?
ADS-B Out can be tricky to get working properly. It's one thing that cannot really be tested in Italy.
Evidently his radio was working OK.
 
"Drivers 65 and older had the highest incidence rates of being involved in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies while driving, at incidence rates of 4.1 percent and 2.2 percent for drivers 65 to 74 and 75 and older, respectively...."

Interesting that the percentage is nearly twice as high for 65 - 74 compared to 75+

PS After looking at the study, this may be because drivers over 75 had relatively more crashes for reasons other than medical emergencies.
Also, "When asked to rate their overall general health, an estimated 44 percent of the drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies rated their general health to be fair or poor, compared to an estimate of less than 7 percent of the other drivers [involved in crashes]"
 
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