Tag Aviation PTY LTD Titanium Explorer accident near Larkspur, Colorado, July 13, 2026
On July 13, 2026 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 2025 Tag Aviation PTY LTD Titanium Explorer (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N665TE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Larkspur, Colorado (Perry Park airport). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2026 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Larkspur, Colorado · Perry Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Tag Aviation PTY LTD Titanium Explorer, built 2025, amateur-built
- Registration
- N665TE · registry record · serial 0066-0125
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 13, 2026, about 800 mountain daylight time, a Tag Aviation Pty Ltd Titanium Explorer gyrocopter, N665TE was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Larkspur, Colorado. The pilot passed away in the hospital five days after the accident. The gyrocopter was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to a friend of the pilot, the pilot flew the gyrocopter from Meadowlake Airport (FLY) Peyton, Colorado, to Central Colorado Airport (AEJ) Buena Vista, Colorado, 4 days before the accident. The pilot and his friend flew their respective gyrocopters around the Buena Vista area several times during that four-day period. The friend said that the gyrocopter was performing normally. On the morning of July 13th, the pilot filled the fuel tank with 91 Octane motor gas before he departed back toward FLY. The friend said that the pilot planned to circumnavigate Davis Airfield (AFF) Colorado Springs, Colorado, to the north and then fly back toward the east toward Peyton, Colorado. The pilot departed AEJ about 700. While enroute, he called another friend on his cellular phone to let him know that he was flying over Lake George in Park County, Colorado. He told the friend that everything was fine and he would call him again when he landed safely at FLY. About 800, a witness walking her dog outside her home said that she heard the gyrocopter fly overhead. She said the gyrocopter was low and the engine was “struggling.” Then, the engine stopped and the gyrocopter fell through the trees. She reported that the pilot was conscious but not speaking and that fuel was dripping out of the fuel tank. The gyrocopter was relatively intact and came to rest on its right side under a group of trees. The rotor blades were bent and cracked. One of the rotor blade tips was sheared off. The three-bladed propeller was still attached at the hub, and the blades were flat and smooth. The needle on the Aviasport gyro rotor tachometer was fully in the red zone at 500 rpm. According to the engine and airframe logbooks, N665TE would have been due for an annual condition inspection in September 2026. At the time of the accident, the airframe had accumulated about 50 hours, and the engine had accumulated about 400 hours. The gyrocopter was retained for further examination.
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 unknown defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 50 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 1,267 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: AEJ Buena Vista CO at 1:00 pm
- Destination: FLY Peyton CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.38 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 am from KCOS, 27 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCOS 131354Z 11005KT 10SM CLR 19/13 A3038
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.