Amateur-built SA-1 accident near Mead, Colorado, September 8, 2002
On September 8, 2002 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built SA-1 (gyroplane), registered N551SA, was destroyed in an accident near Mead, Colorado. 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 failure to maintain main rotor rpm, resulting in blade flapping, subsequent blade contact with the airframe, and loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2002 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mead, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SA-1
- Registration
- N551SA · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed "a rotor or a wing" separate from the gyroplane, and the gyroplane then descended and impacted terrain. According to the deputy's report, a rotor blade was found about 150 feet north of the point of impact, and other debris was strewn to the southwest. The co-builder of the accident gyroplane, who was also a close friend of the pilot, contacted three gyroplane experts: the designer of the SA-1 Dominator and President of Rotor Flight Dynamics; a gyroplane aerodynamist; and the designer of another gyroplane. They examined the wreckage and compiled both a factual and analytical report. The following is based on the factual portion of the report. The separated rotor blade was bowed upward and had fractured about 2 feet from the tip. The fracture was consistent with positive overload. There was orange paint and primer transfer marks on the top and upper leading edge (the tail cone was painted orange). The attached rotor blade was also bent upward. The propeller blades exhibited no strike marks. The rotor head and hub bar were intact. The hub bar, normally bent 2.5 degrees upward, was bent approximately 10 degrees upward. The roll pillow blocks bore evidence of hammering and were mushroomed. The pitch stops were similarly damaged. In the analytical portion of the report, the necessity of maintaining blade loading at all times in order to maintain main rotor blade rotation was noted. The fracture on the separated main rotor blade was in "a purely upward bending moment which could only have occurred if the blade rpm had dramatically slowed...If totally unloaded, the blade rpm can deteriorate as fast as 120 rpm/sec." Normal rotor blade rpm is 320 to 400 rpm. If rotor blade rpm were allowed to drop, increasing the velocity of air moving through the rotor system, severe blade "flapping" would result as evidenced by the pounding and mushrooming of the roll pillow blocks and bending of the hub bar on the rotor head. A toxicological test revealed 2.024 (ug/mL, ug/g) paroxetine in the blood and liver. The drug is an antidepressant and contraindicated for flight. The pilot's personal physician prescribed the drug for the treatment of fibromyalgia, a condition manifested by muscle soreness. Adverse effects of the drug include drowsiness, muscle weakness, agitation, and tremors.
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: 280 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 222 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 16, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 44 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 18, 2002; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912WLS (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 3:00 pm
- Destination: BJC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from DEN, 25 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.
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.