Amateur-built RAF 2000 accident near Rensselaer, Indiana, May 16, 1998
On May 16, 1998 at about 8:47 pm local time, a amateur-built RAF 2000 (gyroplane), registered N4062H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rensselaer, Indiana (Jasper County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot excessively flared the gyroplane during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 1998 · about 8:47 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Rensselaer, Indiana · Jasper County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RAF 2000
- Registration
- N4062H · registry record · serial H2-93-4-92
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he made a 'normal' approach to runway 27. He reported that he had 'too much flare' during the landing and the gyroplane got into a nose high attitude. According to the pilot, the rotor blades then contacted the ground. The gyroplane then touched down hard and rolled over.
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
- Flight time: 388 hours in all; 168 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 388 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 192 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EJ22 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RZL at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from LAF, 37 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 N4062H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4062H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Subaru EJ22 9 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Jasper County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Indiana 1,367 since 1982 · 179 in the last ten years
- Indiana 5,700 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4062H 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI98LA163.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.