What happened
On August 3, 2024, at approximately 20:58 CDT, a De Bird gyroplane, registration N140DG, was involved in a fatal accident near Napoleon, Michigan. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use.
The pilot was conducting an evening pleasure flight from a private turf airstrip. According to a witness, the pilot was an experienced operator with approximately 800 flight hours in the aircraft. The witness, located approximately one-quarter mile from the runway, observed the aircraft take off from runway 34. While the takeoff initially appeared normal, the witness heard two loud thumps.
The aircraft was located in wooded terrain approximately 250 feet short of the departure end of the runway and 200 feet to the left of the runway centerline. The impact resulted in 1 fatality.
The investigation
Investigators found the gyroplane upright but leaning to its left, supported by trees. The wreckage showed crushing on the forward and left side of the fuselage, and the left main landing gear was fractured. The horizontal and fixed tail surfaces were found separated from the fuselage on opposite sides of surrounding trees.
Examination of the tail surfaces revealed damage consistent with an impact from the main rotor. Additionally, yellow paint transfer on the main rotor blades was consistent with the blades striking the tail of the aircraft. The tail boom was partially separated from the fuselage, remaining attached only by the two rudder cables; the fracture pattern suggested the aft end of the boom bent toward the right prior to failure, which is consistent with a rotor strike given the counterclockwise rotation of the blades.
Mechanical examinations of the flight control systems—including the cyclic, collective, and directional controls—confirmed continuity, with all breaks attributed to impact damage. An examination of the engine showed that the reciprocating and valve train systems were functional, with compression present in all cylinders, and no pre-impact anomalies were identified. The rotor drive system was intact, though the drive coupling in the top of the fuselage had separated. All three main rotor blades remained intact from root to tip, despite bending caused by the impact.