Amateur-built MTO SPORT accident near Mccoy, Texas, October 2, 2017
On October 2, 2017 at about 8:15 pm local time, a amateur-built MTO SPORT (gyroplane), registered N818PB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mccoy, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a powerline during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2017 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mccoy, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MTO SPORT NO SERIES
- Registration
- N818PB · registry record · serial M01394
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting a personal flight in the gyrocopter and planned on landing near his residence. The pilot reported that he made a normal approach near the powerlines; however, a gust of wind pushed the gyrocopter downward and the left landing gear caught a powerline. The pilot lost control of the gyrocopter and it impacted a road and came to rest on its right side. The accident is consistent with the pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from a powerline during the landing approach.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 47 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 47.9 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Mccoy TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from KPEZ, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 8, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Brochure | PDF, 24 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.