Air Command 503 accident near Tomahawk, Wisconsin, January 15, 1991
On January 15, 1991 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Air Command 503 (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Tomahawk, Wisconsin (Tomahawk Regional 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 PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S ABRUPT MOVEMENT OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF ROTOR RPM AND EVENTUAL DEPARTURE FROM CONTROLLED FLIGHT. A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING WAS ICE ACCUMULATION ON THE PILOT'S FACE RESULTING IN PILOT INCAPACITATION (VISUAL DEFICIENTY).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 1991 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Tomahawk, Wisconsin · Tomahawk Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Command 503, 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 PILOT OF AN UNREGISTERED GYRO-COPTER WAS MAKING TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS IN CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO ICING. HE MADE A LANDING AND COMPLAINED OF ICE ON HIS GLASSES TO A WITNESS. WHEN NO GOGGLES COULD BE LOCATED HE STATED THAT HE WOULD MAKE ONE MORE TAKEOFF AND LANDING. ON THE DOWNWIND LEG OF THE FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES TO DEPART CONTROLLED FLIGHT, TUMBLE, AND IMPACT THE TERRAIN. WITNESSES STATED THAT DURING AN ATTEMPT TO REVIVE THE PILOT HE HAD AN ACCUMULATION OF ONE QUARTER INCH OF ICE OVER HIS EYES AND FACE.
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
- Flight time: 12 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,000 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.