Indications at this early time are that the error in initial pilot reported is due to someone jumping the gun and connecting the N numbers to the owner, then stating that he was the pilot before knowing all the facts.
It is my understanding that the "first 40" were being flown off by Alex for his customer in and around A4A. I do not know anything about any adjustments being needed or being made, more information may be available later.
The accident is under NTSB investigation and all parties involved are under NDA at this time.
Preliminary examination of the photos indicate that the gyro went in hard and fast. In every case where the pilot is conscious and has control of pitch and yaw when coming in, if there is an engine out and a decent LZ available, such as the cotton field here, then the pilot will glide to within the tops of ground cover, flare to a zero ground speed, stop and drop, so as not to upset the craft upon touch down. No big deal, engine out or not. I've done it at least half a dozen times and all I ever had to do was trailer the gyro home, at worst.
Even in a case of poor piloting the gyro should not be carrying so much ground speed that it would flip completely over the nose as appears to have happened in the photos. The extensive damage to the under body around the nose wheel, the collapsed nose gear, extensive tail boom damage, one rotor blade a fair distance away from the rest of the airframe and remaining rotor, the gyro resting not to one side but rather totally upside down, all indicates a great deal of speed carried into touchdown and a hard wheel barrow landing, not mains first as a conscious pilot with pitch and yaw control would definitely be able to do in any condition where all such control of the aircraft is still available.
In light of the NDA mentioned, it can be said that no evidence of mechanical failure is obvious at this time. An engine out or some other type of power plant failure is highly unlikely since it does not explain the obviously excessive speed carried into this emergency landing.
As a gyro pilot with first-hand experience in making terrible piloting decisions and landing a fuel-starved Air Command CLT tandem with a full body pod at 35 mph GS, hitting a berm, breaking off the nose wheel completely, and still just skidding to a roll-over stop and walking away with only a split lip and a "boxer's break" on my hand, it is my opinion based on the information provided at this point that Alex was not in control of his muscles, perhaps even unconscious, when the gyro came in.
Bear in mind this is no more than educated speculation.
I guess the one good thing here is that there was no fire, making investigation easier to complete.
If any PRC members come to see this first, please check in to our Peachstate club forum
http://peachstaterotorcraft.org ASAP and respond to the thread posted there concerning our club's treasury donation for the family. Thank you, very much.
Greg