Amateur-built COMMANDER accident near Westminster, Maryland, January 29, 2013
On January 29, 2013 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built COMMANDER (gyroplane), registered N393GX, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Westminster, Maryland (Clearview Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Impact with power lines due to the pilot’s obscured vision due to the low angle of the sun, which prevented the pilot from seeing the lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 2013 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Westminster, Maryland · Clearview Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built COMMANDER
- Registration
- N393GX · registry record · serial SCA001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the gyroplane, he was practicing aborted takeoffs from a field that had power lines near the practice area and performing 180-degree turns to simulate a return to the runway. He successfully completed one practice maneuver, taking off to the south and making a 180-degree turn to the north. During the second practice maneuver, he took off to the north and began a 180-degree turn to the south. The pilot stated that, immediately after making the turn, the sun obscured his vision for several seconds. The gyroplane then struck a power line, and the pilot pushed the cyclic forward to land in the field. Subsequently, the gyroplane impacted the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. At the time of the accident, the angle of the sun was low and directly in the flightpath during the turn. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of visual reference during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Autorotation Hard landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Bright light › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,560 hours in all; 224 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,338 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 10, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 209 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 19, 2012
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503ULDCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2W2 Westminster MD at 8:30 pm
- Destination: 2W2 Westminster MD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 8:30 pm from KDMW, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.