Rotary Air Force Marketing RAF 2000 accident near Neenah, Wisconsin, February 23, 2007
On February 23, 2007 at about 6:11 pm local time, a Rotary Air Force Marketing RAF 2000 (gyroplane), registered N5077F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Neenah, Wisconsin (Brennand airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion. Contributing factors were a bent rudder trim tab, the narrow runway, and the uneven terrain at the edge of the runway pavement.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 2007 · about 6:11 pm local time
- Place
- Neenah, Wisconsin · Brennand · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rotary Air Force Marketing RAF 2000
- Registration
- N5077F · registry record · serial H2-05-16-649
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The gyroplane was substantially damaged when it rolled onto its right side during landing. The pilot reported that he had recently purchased the gyroplane, and while transporting it to his home airport, a trailer tie-down strap had broken and bent the rudder trim tab. The tab was bent back to approximately its original position. The pilot reported that during the initial flight, right rudder was needed to keep the gyroplane straight. When he returned to the airport the gyroplane touched down on the main wheels. It did not come to a full stop before the nose wheel touched down and the gyroplane "jerked hard right." He noted he "forgot to take out the right rudder." His attempts to keep the gyroplane on the runway were unsuccessful, and the right main wheel dropped off the runway pavement. The gyroplane subsequently rolled onto its right side, damaging the main rotor mast and control linkage.
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
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 280 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 246 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 114 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EJ2-5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 79C Neenah WI at 5:38 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,450 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from ATW, 6 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.