Amateur-built Titanium Explorer accident near Whitewater, Kansas, July 16, 2016
On July 16, 2016, a 2015 amateur-built Titanium Explorer (gyroplane), registered N556XT, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Whitewater, Kansas. 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 loss of aircraft control for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2016
- Place
- Whitewater, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Titanium Explorer, built 2015
- Registration
- N556XT · no longer on the register · serial TX007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sport pilot was conducting a local flight in the gyroplane that he and his wife had built. Witnesses saw the gyroplane start a turn, the nose of the gyroplane pitch up, and then the gyroplane descend and impact the ground. A postimpact fire ensued and destroyed the gyroplane. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, the examination was limited by fragmentation due to impact damage and heat damage due to the postimpact fire. The pilot had an undiagnosed adrenal tumor and was being treated for hypertension, depression, and chronic pain. However, it is unlikely that any of these conditions or treatments contributed to the abrupt loss of control in this accident. The reason for the sudden pitch up and then descent and impact with terrain could not be determined during the investigation.
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 maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 53.6 hours in all; 53.6 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 17, 2016
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 175.8 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 31, 2016
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914UL (piston); 216 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KEWK Newton KS at 11:30 pm
- Destination: KEWK Newton KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from KEWK, 10 miles away
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.
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.