Amateur-built PARSON 2+2 accident near Bunnell, Florida, March 11, 1997
On March 11, 1997 at about 10:40 pm local time, a amateur-built PARSON 2+2, registered N254WP, was destroyed in an accident near Bunnell, Florida (Flagler Counter Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The owner/pilot mechanic's improper bending of the front flight control stick that resulted in an fatigue failure, and the subsequent loss of flight control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 1997 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bunnell, Florida · Flagler Counter Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PARSON 2+2
- Registration
- N254WP · no longer on the register · serial 120
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner of the gyrocopter had completed maintenance repairs on the gyrocopter prior to the attempted departure. The pilot made a bending adjustment to the front flight control stick and had reinstalled it into the front position. Since this gyrocopter was also used for training, and the student pilot station was the front, the pilot had placed a frangible stick in that position. The purpose of the frangible or 'soft stick,' was to enable the instructor pilot, seated in the rear, to override the control forces of the student. According to an eyewitness, the pilot climbed into the front seat and the passenger climbed into the rear seat. The witness watched the gyrocopter as it climbed to about the height of the trees, entered a left turn and disappeared out of sight. Seconds later the witness saw a large flame coming from the vicinity where the gyrocopter was last seen. An examination of the gyrocopter at the accident site disclosed that the front seat control stick was fractured; the control stick fracture faces exhibited features typical of a fatigue cracking.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: X47 at 9:39 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from DAB, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.