Modern Generation Accident Statistics

What can you say when someone flies fast and low and flies into wires?

He was distracted by his friends on the ground and should be aware of wires near an airfield as part of his flight planning even if he had never been there before.

The last time I looked wires were still the number one cause of crashes in helicopters.

Low level wire strikes are completely avoidable; a ten.

No amount of skill will save a gyroplane from a wire strike.

As people gain experience they get better at seeing them.

I practice vigilance by flying over the poles rather than the wires that are much harder to see.

There is a wire near KSMX that is strung across a canyon. It is a single wire strung between black wooden poles. I use it as a teaching aid to show people just how hard wires are to see. Not one of my clients has been able to see it until I point it out as we fly about 300 feet above it.
 
Just as an aside, Vance, do you find that recent rainfall tends to make wires more visible, less visible, no difference, or it depends....?
 
Just as an aside, Vance, do you find that recent rainfall tends to make wires more visible, less visible, no difference, or it depends....?

I always imagine that wires are invisible and look for the poles and how they are represented on the chart.

As a point of interest major transmission lines are marked the same as a single wire on FAA charts.

How visible wires are is very dependent on how they contrast with the background so the answer to your question is; it depends.
 
Just as an aside, Vance, do you find that recent rainfall tends to make wires more visible, less visible, no difference, or it depends....?

I've never noticed a difference based upon wet vs. dry wires. Aside from the background contrast mentioned by Vance, what seems to me to matter the most is the relative positions of wire, sun, and pilot, and the angles formed by those three. What might be visible from one approach path can fully disappear from another, at the very same time.
 
....The accident occurred around 12.40 pm when, for unknown reasons, the apparatus crashed into some high tension power lines present in the area, which were cut, and came down quickly from about 300 metres height on a rustic plot of land....

They are some very high power lines, were they strung over a valley or something?
 
They are some very high power lines, were they strung over a valley or something?
It says "supported by posts of about 7 or 8 meters in height", which is not abnormal for wires. It's hard to work from translations, but I read it to say that the gyro descended quickly from an initial altitude of 300 meters, and when it got close the ground, ran into wires only 7 or 8 meters off the ground and cut them.
 
In the second unofficial commentary, which I included because it gives further details of the pilot and photos of the wreckage, the sense is ambiguous initially:

"...el aparato, chocó contra unos cables del tendido eléctrico de alta tensión existente en la zona, que cortó, y se precipitó desde unos 300 metros de altura contra una parcela rústica."

implying that he came down from 300 metres after hitting the lines, but it's clear in the whole context that he first came down from cruise height to impress bystanders, and then hit lines 7 or 8 metres high.
 
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CASE 7

Date
: 14 January 2008 at 1300 hours
Machine: ELA 07S R100
Registration: LY-ELA
Location: Rojunai, Panevezys -
LY.gif
Lithuania
Official Report: see attached (autotranslated)
Commentaries: https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/crime/legendinio-lakuno-zutis-sudrebino-aviacijos-pasauli.d?id=15624877

Injuries and damage: Pilot killed. Aircraft destroyed
Weather: Cloudy, wind 13 kts [7 m/s]

Auto Translate

"According to a witness, while turning over the aerodrome, the pilot performed autorotational parachuting to a height of approximately 10 m, increasing the engine power to the nominal - maximum mode, accelerating flew horizontally and began to rise sharply against the wind. Ascending to a height of about 30 m, he began to turn sharply to the left. When the helicopter turned about 90 •• its inclination increased to about 150 •. Further, the inclination of the helicopter began to decrease, and right next to the ground it almost straightened out. Landing at high vertical speed, the helicopter crashed into a plow near the aerodrome and caught fire"

------------Additional Commentary-----------

“It was the most important thing I wanted to tell him. I don't seem to have been able to instill cowardice - qualities that a pilot desperately needs. He was too brave," said the former coach.

a former member of the Lithuanian and then Soviet Union aerobatic flying team, spoke about the dead colleague: he flew like a god.

V.Lapėnas was the axis around which the aviation world revolves. He is the only one in the world who has exceeded the limits of human possibilities, who has become disabled after a serious disaster and has been able to return to big sports. “A unique case where a person without a left foot fingers the left-hand fingers of a high-end aircraft SU-29 and is still participating in the world aerobatic championships. It takes a lot of stubbornness. That person lived in aviation, ”said Algimantas Žentelis, President of the Lithuanian Aerobatic Federation.
 

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So he does 10 hours conversion, then starts doing in the gyro what he's "good" at:
aerobatics...
 
Have we had any U.S. fatals since 2020 in big 3 Manufacturers? I remember seeing Tygo's post about having 2 from 1995-2020 in the US. Just wondering about an update.
 
I don't know who the big three are.
According to the NTSB there were nine fatal gyroplane accidents reported since the beginning of 2019.
1 Tango
1 MTO Sport by AutoGyro
3 Cavalons by AutoGyro
3 American Rangers by Silverlight Aviation
1 Airgyro
 
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Have we had any U.S. fatals since 2020 in big 3 Manufacturers? I remember seeing Tygo's post about having 2 from 1995-2020 in the US. Just wondering about an update.
As I was considering hosting a "safety-seminar" ...OR a think-tank session on how we can improve the ridiculous US gyro-accident stats - for a Bensen Days seminar session ...I spent some time (using RWF & Gyroblogspot data) compiling an accident spreadsheet for the last 5 years!
I'm sure Vance with his superior skills in researching official NTSB/FAA records could find some more!

From these resources ...I saw for 2019 - 19 publicized accidents (3 fatal) -11 were in landing phase of flight
2020 13 events(2 fatal) 7 - landing phase
2021 9 accidents(2 fatal) 3 landing & 3 TO phase issues.
2022. 20 accidents (4 fatal) landing phase - 9 and 6 events in TO phase
2023 17 accidents ( 3 fatal) 9 landing phase

Of the major brands in accidents - AG - Cavalon/calidus/MTO's consistently accounted for 20-45%, Magni after a stellar US history of sound quality training/ minimal accident rate ...suddenly had a bad run -in 2023 with 5 down, 2 in 2022 and 3 in 2020! AR1's had a bad time with old, stubborn in taking adequate training, medically unfit pilots - had a bad run in 19/20 with 7 down /3 fatals

The biggest killer - seems to be a collision with WIRES - totally avoidable!
Then botched emergency landings /LOCOL = loss of control on landing!
and a couple of unloading rotor-in flight ( possible medical events) - HS rotor flap ( aggravated by ability of super-powerful engines allowing a high climb-rate/nose-high attitude - hanging on the prop which if poorly managed can result in slowed-rotor event!)
A couple of fatal accidents were un/under trained pilots- rogues!

A good possibility that these numbers also reflect the % of new-gen gyros on the US register ~230 AG /111Magni/ 50 Silverlights / 60 Sportcopters, 27 Tangos/ 108 RAFS -of which fewer and fewer are flown frequently.
 
As I was considering hosting a "safety-seminar" ...OR a think-tank session on how we can improve the ridiculous US gyro-accident stats - for a Bensen Days seminar session ...I spent some time (using RWF & Gyroblogspot data) compiling an accident spreadsheet for the last 5 years!
I would love to attend a safety-seminar at Bensen days GyrOZprey.


 
GyrOZprey, You may want to look at this post and attached spreadsheet from Ron Wantajja that looks at gyro accident rates. Over the years Ron has done some very good work on the experimental side of fixed wing accident rates. What stands out in the linked post is that the gyro fleet accident rate (slightly better) and fatality rated (slightly worse) is in line with the FW experimentals. If valid, this is incredible given that in the heyday of the carnage it was about ~10X FW rates. I have not looked at his data in depth yet, but seems like a good place to start.
 
I don't know who the big three are.
According to the NTSB there were nine fatal gyroplane accidents reported since the beginning of 2020.
1 Tango
1 MTO Sport by AutoGyro
3 Cavalons by AutoGyro
3 American Rangers by Silverlight Aviation
1 Airgyro

I am aware of 2 AR-1 fatalities since 2020.
One in Florida where there was water condensate found in one of the carb bowls of his 914 engine and 914 computer log showed that the engine had quit about 30 to 40 seconds before his ADSB track was lost. NTSB found, engine ran fine when they supplied it fresh fuel. I knew the pilot personally and flew with him for a few hours to transition train him. He was a solid pilot but I am lost at how water found its way in one of his carb bowls (not the other) after about 1.6 hours of cross country flight. It was a marginal VFR day and there were low clouds and he was flying lower than 1000 feet over a sea of trees/swamp. Don't know if somehow water can be ingested through the intake into the carb or what. I personally am at a loss for satisfactory explanation for this.

Second, the Utah accident in AR-1C with 915iS where the pilot took off and in about 30 seconds before even getting clear of runway he pitched up and lost control and gyro went weightless and he died. I am not too worried about explanation for this accident.

What is the 3rd fatal since 2020. I am not aware of any. There was another fatal but before 2020 for an older pilot in Minnesota. New to gyroplanes and not too high time in fixed wings either. 100+ mph (ASI stuck at 110 mph at impact) tight uncoordinated base to final turn is what I suspect (with a canopy which requires coordination at high airspeed more than open cockpit would) and that allowed the gyroplane to descend extreme rate and he could not pull out in space remaining, hit nose first at 110 mph. That AR-1 caught fire because the impact was severe.
 
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I am aware of 2 AR-1 fatalities since 2020.
One in Florida where there was water condensate found in one of the carb bowls of his 914 engine and 914 computer log showed that the engine had quit about 30 to 40 seconds before his ADSB track was lost. NTSB found, engine ran fine when they supplied it fresh fuel. I knew the pilot personally and flew with him for a few hours to transition train him. He was a solid pilot but I am lost at how water found its way in one of his carb bowls (not the other) after about 1.6 hours of cross country flight. It was a marginal VFR day and there were low clouds and he was flying lower than 1000 feet over a sea of trees/swamp. Don't know if somehow water can be ingested through the intake into the carb or what. I personally am at a loss for satisfactory explanation for this.

Second, the Utah accident in AR-1C with 915iS where the pilot took off and in about 30 seconds before even getting clear of runway he pitched up and lost control and gyro went weightless and he died. I am not too worried about explanation for this accident.

What is the 3rd fatal since 2020. I am not aware of any. There was another fatal but before 2020 for an older pilot in Minnesota. New to gyroplanes and not too high time in fixed wings either. 100+ mph (ASI stuck at 110 mph at impact) tight uncoordinated base to final turn is what I suspect (with a canopy which requires coordination at high airspeed more than open cockpit would) and that allowed the gyroplane to descend extreme rate and he could not pull out in space remaining, hit nose first at 110 mph. That AR-1 caught fire because the impact was severe.
Sorry Abid, I got the beginning date wrong.
My mistake; 07/11/2019 Hawley, Minnesota N14968 AR1.
 
Sorry Abid, I got the beginning date wrong.
My mistake; 07/11/2019 Hawley, Minnesota N14968 AR1.

Ok. I thought maybe I missed one.
 
First, you’ve decided you’d like to fly, apparently you selected that you’d like to fly gyros. Seems like a great choice to me, I tried helicopters planes et cetera and certainly have happily arrived at gyros. In regarding safety, each kind of flying has different risks But for my money a gyro is as safe as an Airplane. The way I look at it is flying a gyro is a lot safer than me riding a motorcycle or probably a bicycle most of the time so I’m picking something that is a wonderful adventure and many other things are more dangerous than the one I’m selecting
 
First, you’ve decided you’d like to fly, apparently you selected that you’d like to fly gyros. Seems like a great choice to me, I tried helicopters planes et cetera and certainly have happily arrived at gyros. In regarding safety, each kind of flying has different risks But for my money a gyro is as safe as an Airplane. The way I look at it is flying a gyro is a lot safer than me riding a motorcycle or probably a bicycle most of the time so I’m picking something that is a wonderful adventure and many other things are more dangerous than the one I’m selecting
Ditto that! I rode motorcycles in my early 20's, but within 4 years I got hit by 3 cars while minding my own business. Having already lost about 3 of my 9 lives to other things, I gave it up.....
If you ride a street bike in Tucson, you will get hit.....
 
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