Amateur-built COMMANDER 503 accident near Georgetown, Ohio, June 12, 1994
On June 12, 1994 at about 1:50 pm local time, a amateur-built COMMANDER 503 (gyroplane), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Georgetown, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE GYROPLANE'S UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO TERRAIN DUE TO UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1994 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built COMMANDER 503 COMMANDER
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE UNREGISTERED HOME BUILT GYROPLANE WAS ENTERING A RIGHT BASE LEG FOR LANDING WHEN IT WAS OBSERVED TO SUDDENLY ENTER AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT AND IMPACT TERRAIN. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT IMPACT. OTHER WITNESSES WERE INTERVIEWED AND NONE INDICATED AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION. FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETORS. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL DEFICIENCIES. THE PILOT HAD NEVER HELD AN FAA AIRMAN CERTIFICATE. HIS PERSONAL LOGBOOK INDICATED THAT HE HAD FLOWN ABOUT 8 HOURS IN THE GYROPLANE.
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
- Flight time: 8 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from LUK, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.