Amateur-built COMMANDER 447 accident near Lansing, Illinois, March 8, 1987
On March 8, 1987 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built COMMANDER 447 (gyroplane), registered N447MR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lansing, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- March 8, 1987 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lansing, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built COMMANDER 447 COMMANDER
- Registration
- N447MR · no longer on the register · serial 3496360
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. THE ACC PLT OFFERED TO FLY THE ACFT OUT. HE HAD 30 MIN OF DUAL FLT IN THIS TYPE ACFT. HE SAT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ACFT FOR THE FLT WHICH RESULTED IN AN UNBALANCED CONDITION. THE ACFT ENTERED A LEFT TURN DURING TAKEOFF THAT WAS NOT CORRECTED AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A STEEP LEFT BANK. PLTS EXPERIENCED WITH THIS TYPE ACFT INDICATED THAT A PLT FLYING ALONE IN THIS ACFT WOULD NEED TO SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BENCH SEAT AND ALSO KEEP HIS WEIGHT FORWARD INSTEAD OF LEANING BACK TO GET THE NORMAL CONTROL RESPONSE.
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: 592 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 557 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1987; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 732 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3HA Lansing IL at 3:59 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:00 am
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 N447MR 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.