History of Flight
On March 14, 2009, at about 1002 eastern daylight time, a McNear Explorer Coupe 2000 amateur-built gyrocopter, registration N5098L, rolled over on the taxiway adjacent to runway 14 at the Okeechobee County Airport (OBE), Okeechobee, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot was killed. The accident was reported to the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Department at 1016.
A certified flight instructor (CFI) and his student pilot had landed on runway 14, taxied to the ramp, and shut down for about 15 minutes. They then started their airplane and taxied out for departure. While approaching the runway, the CFI observed metal on the runway edge. Upon reaching the threshold, he saw the gyrocopter lying on its back or side. He shut down, exited, and went to the accident site, where a deceased occupant lay on the runway to the left of the gyrocopter. The CFI called 911.
A friend of the deceased pilot stated that earlier, the pilot mentioned having problems with the gyrocopter's pre-rotator, which could not exceed 60 rpm, and that he might reengage it after starting his takeoff roll. Another pilot from the Florida Popular Rotorcraft Association accident response team noted that reengaging the pre-rotator with more than idle power could cause extreme torque, causing the aircraft to lurch right and roll left.
Personnel Information
The pilot, 76, held a commercial pilot certificate issued May 10, 2001, with ratings for single-engine land and sea, multiengine land, rotorcraft helicopter and gyrocopter, glider, and instrument airplane and helicopter. He also held a flight instructor certificate for single-engine land, instrument airplane, and glider, issued October 28, 2007, and a ground instructor certificate. His last flight review could not be verified. He held a second-class medical certificate issued March 20, 2006, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. On his last application, he reported 9,500 total flight hours, with 70 hours in the last 6 months.
Aircraft Information
The McNear Explorer Coupe 2000 is a two-place, single-engine experimental amateur-built gyrocopter with fixed tricycle landing gear, serial number H2-95-6-154, manufactured in 2000. It was powered by a Subaru EJ25, 180-horsepower fuel-injected engine. The original builder registered the aircraft on May 20, 1997, and received a special airworthiness certificate on April 9, 2000. The builder sold it to the pilot on January 3, 2009, after the gyrocopter had been stored for a year. No logbooks or current condition inspection existed at the time of sale, as required by 14 CFR 91.419. The engine had about 150 total hours, and the airframe about 2,000 hours. The pilot did not register the gyrocopter or obtain a new airworthiness certificate, and no logbooks or condition inspection were recreated.
Meteorological Information
The 1025 surface observation at OBE reported wind from 190 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet, temperature 26°C, dew point 20°C, and altimeter 30.15 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The gyrocopter came to rest on its left side on a heading of 080 degrees magnetic, near the edge of the taxiway and runway 14 threshold. The pilot lay behind the gyrocopter, left and aft, across the double yellow lines marking the right taxiway edge. One rotor blade strike was found in the grass left of the taxiway. The gyrocopter swerved right, traveled 106 feet, and rolled left. Nine propeller blade strikes were on the taxiway. The right main landing gear left the taxiway, with seven left main gear sidewall marks. The gyrocopter continued 15 feet until its mast contacted the taxiway, leaving a scrap mark extending 68 feet to the gyrocopter at rest. Rotor blades remained attached to the hub, lying across the aft cabin. Their leading edges and bottom sides were scratched. Nose, left and right main gear, and tail wheel remained attached. The debris line spanned 230 feet. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine, and accessories by an FAA safety inspector revealed no anomalies.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination by the State of Florida District Nineteen Medical Examiner on March 16, 2009, determined the cause of death as sharp and blunt force injuries of head and neck. Toxicological tests were negative for ethanol; carbon monoxide and cyanide were not tested.
The pilot's March 20, 2006 medical application indicated no medication use, no heart or vascular trouble, and no health visits in the prior 3 years. His height was 65 inches, weight 145 pounds. However, the pilot's personal medical records, reviewed by the NTSB Medical Officer, showed he underwent coronary artery bypass surgery on October 16, 2006, for triple vessel disease. A follow-up visit on November 7, 2006, indicated no chest pain or shortness of breath. A primary care visit on November 21, 2008, noted the pilot felt well with no complaints. Autopsy revealed significant coronary artery stenosis: 70% of the distal left anterior descending, 80% of the mid right coronary artery, and 50-60% of other segments. The heart weighed 590 grams. The bypass grafts were patent with maximal occlusion of 30-50%.