Amateur-built B8M accident near Paoli, Indiana, September 23, 1983
On September 23, 1983 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built B8M (gyroplane), registered N6469, was destroyed in an accident near Paoli, Indiana (Paoli 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
- September 23, 1983 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Paoli, Indiana · Paoli · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built B8M · all B8Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6469 · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE GYROCOPTER CRASHED ON THE WEST SIDE OF RWY 02/20. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT TURN TO THE RIGHT AFTER LIFT-OFF, THEN IT DISAPPEARED BEHIND TREES. THEY REPORTED HEARING AN UNUSUAL NOISE & STATED THAT THE ENG STOPPED OPERATING, THEN THEY HEARD THE ACFT CRASH. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT LIFTED OFF FROM THE TAXIWAY BEFORE TURNING DOWN RWY 02 TO DEPART. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE WAS MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 402 hours in all; 276 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 277 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mcculloch 40-50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.