Air Command 532 accident near Munster, Indiana, January 22, 1990
On January 22, 1990 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Air Command 532 (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Munster, Indiana. 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 PILOT'S EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S OSTENTATIOUS DISPLAY AND HIS LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE IN TYPE AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 1990 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Munster, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Command 532, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-RATED PILOT WAS OBSERVED MAKING SEVERAL LOW ALTITUDE, LOW SPEED PASSES. THE GYROPLANE WAS THEN OBSERVED MAKING HIGH BANK TURNS AND ACCELERATING TO SPEEDS FASTER THAN THE WITNESSES HAD SEEN A GYROPLANE FLY BEFORE. AFTER ROLLING OUT OF A TURN AND LEVELING OFF, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO BEGIN A SERIES OF UP-AND-DOWN ROLLER COASTER-LIKE MANEUVERS FOLLOWED BY A DIVING ROLL TO IMPACT. THE PILOT HAD A STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE AND HAD RECEIVED GYROPLANE INSTRUCTION FROM TWO INSTRUCTORS. NEITHER INSTRUCTOR HAD CERTIFIED THE PILOT FOR SOLO FLIGHT IN A GYROPLANE.
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: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 13 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 340 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532LC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3HA Lansing IL at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:50 pm from GYY, 9 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG 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.