Amateur-built RAF 2000 GTX accident near Crowley, Texas, December 29, 2007
On December 29, 2007 at about 5:40 pm local time, a amateur-built RAF 2000 GTX (gyroplane), registered N136DG, was destroyed in an accident near Crowley, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain rotor rpm while maneuvering, which resulted in a loss of rotor blade rigidity.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2007 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Crowley, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RAF 2000 GTX
- Registration
- N136DG · no longer on the register · serial H2-03-14-563
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur built gyrocopter was destroyed following a loss of rotor rpm and subsequent collision with terrain while maneuvering. A witness initially heard a "loud pop" and then observed the gyrocopter, approximately 50-feet above the ground, descending at a nose down angle of approximately 60-degrees. The gyrocopter impacted the ground approximately 100-feet from where the witness was located. The witness further reported that before the impact, the rotor blades appeared to be spinning "slowly." Inspection of the wreckage revealed that the rotor blades had struck the rudder twice. In addition, the rotor hub and rotor blades exhibited evidence of upward coning, consistent with the rotor blades having lost rigidity due to low rpm. Inspection of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical failure/malfunction which would have resulted in the loss of control.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, sport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EJ22 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FWS Fort Worth TX at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from FWS, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.