What happened
On 3 August 2018, an Autogyro MTO Sport 8.4 Turbo, registration 34AKC, was engaged in a private cross-country flight from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to Montpellier-Candillargues airport. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft experienced a brief period of rapid descent before stabilizing at an altitude between 700 and 970 feet.
After approximately ten minutes of flight, the aircraft began a shallow descent that transitioned into a steeper descent. As the gyroplane approached a marshy area near Lansargues, it executed a steep left climbing turn. The aircraft subsequently collided with the ground and was destroyed by a post-impact fire. The pilot was fatally injured in the accident.
The investigation
Investigators utilized GPS data from an onboard tablet and witness accounts to reconstruct the flight path. A witness observed the aircraft approaching from the east in a descent, noting that the engine sounded unsteady and was sputtering. The witness further described the aircraft making a sudden, steep left turn at a very low altitude before pitching nose-down into the ground.
Technical examinations of the wreckage were constrained by the extensive damage caused by the fire. However, investigators established the following:
- A review of the engine revealed no mechanical assembly failures, and propeller blade damage indicated the engine was producing power at the moment of impact.
- The flight control linkages for yaw, pitch, and roll remained intact and showed no failures prior to the collision.
- The damage to the nose gear and the right main landing gear, along with rotor blade damage, suggested the aircraft struck the ground with a high right bank angle.
- All identified mechanical failures were attributed to the impact rather than pre-existing conditions.
Findings
While the investigation confirmed the aircraft's loss of control in flight, the specific cause of the maneuver remains undetermined. Although the engine was operational at impact, a witness reported engine sputtering, and the investigation could not definitively rule out whether a technical issue or a pilot-induced maneuver at low altitude led to the fatal collision.