U-FITAQP: 12) LOSS OF SPEED AWARENESS
THE DTSB
DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be Pilot Error, in that the pilot did allow the pitch to rise after takeoff at a rate that caused the gyroplane to tumble. The very new sport pilot had only made one other previous solo flight since receiving his recent sport pilot license from a local DPE.
NTSB
Probable Cause issued 8/20/2026 – 20 months after the accident: The sport pilot’s failure to maintain control of the gyroplane during initial climb, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with terrain.
THE DTSB
The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all gyroplanes rehearse and become conditioned to the proper response and pilot inputs necessary for the control of such aircraft.
NTSB
None issued. NTSB recommendations are rare and usually tied to high-profile accidents.
See the NTSB Recommendation Tracker →