What happened
On September 11, 2016, a pilot departed from the Freiburg (EDTF) airfield for a local flight in an AutoGyro MTOsport gyroplane. At approximately 14:30, the aircraft was observed flying through the Simonswalder Tal toward Hohe Steig. Shortly thereafter, a witness in Gütenbach reported hearing loud, helicopter-like rotor blade impacts and observing the aircraft hovering or tumbling at a constant altitude. The witness noted that parts appeared to be falling from the aircraft and that the engine noise ceased during the initial instability. The aircraft then entered a vertical descent, accelerating as it fell.
The wreckage was located in hilly terrain near Gütenbach at approximately 16:00. The pilot was found deceased in a wooded area about 210 meters from the main wreckage. The aircraft sustained heavy damage, with debris from the tail section scattered over a distance of 470 meters.
The investigation
The BFU examined the wreckage and the mechanical condition of the aircraft. Investigators found that the tail unit had been completely severed from the airframe. One rotor blade had broken off at the rotor head, and its location could not be recovered; wood fragments were found at the fracture site on the remaining blade. Additionally, one blade of the three-bladed propeller had broken off, while a second blade was found bent in the ground.
Investigators also examined the cockpit safety equipment. The front seatbelt was found to be unlatched. While the rear seatbelt was functional, the front buckle's locking mechanism failed to engage during testing because the locking pawl was stuck outside its intended position. The manufacturer of the buckle noted that such a displacement is typically caused by extreme lateral acceleration, such as that experienced during a ground impact.
Findings
- The aircraft suffered a rotor blade failure, with one blade detaching from the rotor head.
- The loss of rotor integrity led to a sequence of structural failures, including the detachment of the entire tail assembly and damage to the propeller.
- The pilot sustained fatal injuries due to a high-altitude impact.
- There was no evidence of engine malfunction or pre-existing defects in the rotor head or bearings.
- While the front seatbelt was unlatched, investigators found no conclusive evidence that the belt opened during flight, as there were no signs of load stress on the webbing or impact marks on the pilot's body.