Air Command Commander Elite accident near Lansing, Illinois, January 1, 2003
On January 1, 2003 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Air Command Commander Elite (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Lansing, Illinois (Lansing Municipal 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 inadvertent pilot induced oscillation. Factor to the accident was the wind gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 2003 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lansing, Illinois · Lansing Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Command Commander Elite, amateur-built
- 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 un-registered gyrocopter was destroyed when it impacted terrain. The un-certified pilot received fatal injuries as a result of the crash. A witness to the accident stated that the gyrocopter made a westerly turn at an altitude of about 50 feet above ground level and passed in front of him at an altitude of 100 feet above ground level. The witness said within seconds he observed the gyrocopter in an abrupt climb followed by a quick descent, followed by an even faster climb. The witness said the gyrocopter then tumbled to the ground. The witness described the incident as a classic phugoid oscillation or "pilot induced oscillation." The Rotorcraft Flying Handbook refers to this as "an unintentional up-and-down oscillation of the gyroplane accompanied with alternating climbs and descents of the aircraft." The weather was reported as: Wind 020 degrees at 16 knots and gusts at 21 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition overcast at 2,100.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IGQ Lansing IL at 8:30 pm
- Destination: Lansing IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:25 pm from IGQ
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.