Amateur-built DOMINATOR GYROCOPTER accident near Brighton, Colorado, August 15, 2010
On August 15, 2010 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DOMINATOR GYROCOPTER (gyroplane), registered N36MR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Brighton, Colorado (Brighton airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the gyroplane during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2010 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brighton, Colorado · Brighton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DOMINATOR GYROCOPTER
- Registration
- N36MR · registry record · serial Y-001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was preparing to land his gyroplane when he encountered a downdraft, which increased his rate of descent. The pilot was unable to arrest the descent rate and landed hard. As a result the left main gear axle broke, causing the lower rudder strut to contact the ground. The strut bent upwards into the propeller, splintering the propeller and causing substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that the downdraft was caused by an 80-degree crosswind that blew over houses just to the northeast of the runway threshold. The pilot did not report any mechanical deficiencies with the gyroplane prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 587 hours in all; 468 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
The aircraft
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C)12 Brighton CO
- Destination: C)12 Brighton CO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 30
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N36MR 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.