What happened
On March 7, 2007, at 15:55, an ELA 07 S gyroplane, identified as 2B-CF, was conducting an instructional flight focused on maneuverability near Ghisonaccia aerodrome. The flight plan included a specific exercise: flying along the length of the runway at an altitude of approximately twenty meters, reducing engine power to idle at the end of the runway, climbing at a high rate, and then performing a 180-degree turn to return in the opposite direction by increasing power to regain airspeed.
During the final approach, the aircraft struck the ground approximately 150 meters before the threshold of runway 01. The impact caused the aircraft to bounce approximately six meters toward the runway. The collision resulted in the deaths of both the instructor and the student, and the aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and the accident site to reconstruct the sequence of events. While no witnesses observed the final trajectory of the aircraft before impact, physical evidence from the site was analyzed. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft struck the ground aligned with the runway axis.
Upon impact, a fire broke out, partially involving the wreckage. This was caused by fuel being projected onto hot engine components, as the fuel tank was positioned low within the powerplant assembly, behind the manifold and exhaust pipe. However, the engine, propeller, rotor blade, mast, and landing gear remained unaffected by the fire.
Findings
- The Rotax 914 Turbo engine was found to be in good working order and had experienced no mechanical failure.
- The propeller was capable of delivering power at the time of the accident.
- Deformations observed on the rotor blades and the rotor head indicated that the rotor was rotating at a low speed at the moment of impact.
- The specific cause of the loss of control or the descent leading to the impact could not be determined from the available evidence.