Amateur-built Kuntz 2000 GTS EFI accident near Dickinson, North Dakota, May 10, 2008
On May 10, 2008 at about 3:00 am local time, a amateur-built Kuntz 2000 GTS EFI (gyroplane), registered N610RD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Dickinson, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight weather evaluation and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the precautionary landing at night. Contributing to the accident was the pilot becoming lost after inadvertently encountering fog while en route, the night lighting conditions, and the fence that the gyrocopter impacted during the landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2008 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Dickinson, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Kuntz 2000 GTS EFI
- Registration
- N610RD · registry record · serial 495
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the ground visibility was about 4 miles at the time of his departure. The intended destination was the pilot's farm, located about 17 miles northwest of the departure airport. While en route, about 2 miles from the intended destination, the airplane encountered fog and the pilot decided to return to the departure airport. The pilot stated that he "lost direction" and performed a precautionary landing in a field. During the landing rollout the gyrocopter impacted a fence and nosed over. The vertical fin, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, rotor head, rotor blades, and propeller were damaged. The weather conditions at the departure airport were visibility 4 miles with mist, broken ceiling at 200 feet above ground level (agl), overcast ceiling at 2,800 feet agl, temperature 4 degrees Celsius, and dew point 3 degrees Celsius. The accident occurred at night, about 12 minutes after civil twilight had ended. The pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented if he had called a neighbor prior to departure to determine what the actual weather conditions were near his intended destination.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Not specified
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Not specified
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Geographic disorient (lost) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 515 hours in all; 398 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 461 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 230 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EJ25 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DIK Dickinson ND at 2:50 am
- Destination: PVT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 050° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 200 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from DIK, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.