Amateur-built Garner Falcon accident near Newton, Iowa, September 9, 2006
On September 9, 2006 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Garner Falcon (gyroplane), registered N6194Y, was destroyed in an accident near Newton, Iowa. 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
An inflight collision with terrain during an unknown phase of flight. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2006 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Newton, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Garner Falcon
- Registration
- N6194Y · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amateur-built gyrocopter was destroyed on impact with terrain near a private airstrip. A ground fire occurred. A witness stated, "I was out checking our freshly cut hay. I heard [the pilot's] gyrocopter's engine at a normal idle speed. I often heard the gyrocopter when [the pilot] was working on it. Suddenly the rpm's revved up real high and shut off approximately 2-3 seconds later, I heard an explosion. Unfortunately, at that time, I just assumed that the engine backfired." The pilot was not a certificated pilot.
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
- Flight time: 8 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EJ22 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Newton IA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from TNU, 10 miles away
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.
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.