Amateur-built Superfly accident near Denton, Texas, August 6, 2006
On August 6, 2006 at about 8:11 pm local time, a amateur-built Superfly (gyroplane), registered N975JP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denton, Texas. 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 loss of control as result of the pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A contributing factor was the muddy terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2006 · about 8:11 pm local time
- Place
- Denton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Superfly
- Registration
- N975JP · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 500-hour private pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 300-hours in make and model, was landing the single-seat homebuilt gyrocraft at the edge of a dried-up lakebed. The pilot stated that he made a power-on landing to keep the weight off the landing gear. Upon touchdown, the gear broke through the thin crust and was "mired in 15 inches deep mud." The tricycle gear equipped gyrocopter tipped to the right and yawed to the left as the main rotor impacted the ground and the rotor mast was sheared at the engine mount. The Rotax powered gyrocraft came to rest on its right side and the pilot was able to egress the aircraft unassisted. The pilot reported that there were no problems with the gyro's flight controls or engine prior to the mishap. The pilot reported that the winds were calm at the time of the accident.
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: 500 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 30F Lake Dallas TX at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.