Autogyro GMBH CALIDUS accident near Crozet, Virginia, February 4, 2015
On February 4, 2015 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 2014 Autogyro GMBH CALIDUS (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N595X, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Crozet, Virginia (Polo Field). 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's improper control inputs which resulted in a loss of control and rollover during the takeoff roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 2015 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crozet, Virginia · Polo Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Autogyro GMBH CALIDUS, built 2014, amateur-built
- Registration
- N595X · no longer on the register · serial C00350
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departing from the airport where the pilot kept the gyroplane, he flew to his family farm and landed without incident on a 1,500-foot-long grass polo field. Later on, during an attempted takeoff from the same field, when the gyroplane was traveling at 25 to 30 knots and was about 150 feet into the takeoff roll, the gyroplane rose to a balanced position on its main wheels, but then began to bounce up and down violently. The pilot then lost control of the gyroplane and it rolled over on its left side about 300 feet into the takeoff roll. The pilot advised that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the gyroplane. He further advised that it was "pilot error" and that he had "over advanced" the blades by pushing the control stick too far forward and that the blades were not yet at speed (too low a rotor rpm) when he did it. The pilot was not injured, but the gyroplane incurred damage to the rotor blades, the pusher propeller, the horizontal stabilizer, the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, the engine cowling, and the wheel pants.
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 control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 713 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 495 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 17, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 16, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,235 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914UL (piston); 23 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Crozet VA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: W13 Waynesboro VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway None, 1,500 ft by 450 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from CHO, 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.