Air Command 582 accident near Monongahela, Pennsylvania, October 1, 2014
On October 1, 2014, a Air Command 582 (gyroplane), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monongahela, Pennsylvania (Rostraver airport). 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 amateur-built gyroplane’s collision with terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to conduct the flight without obtaining additional training.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2014
- Place
- Monongahela, Pennsylvania · Rostraver · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Command 582
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial NONE
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness saw the unregistered, amateur-built gyroplane flying in the airport traffic pattern. When the gyroplane pilot could not be located by friends later that day, a search was initiated, and the wreckage was subsequently located in an area of vegetation about 750 ft from the runway. Examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of any obvious mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation, and during a postaccident test run, the engine ran with no anomalies noted. Although the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, he did not hold a rotorcraft-gyroplane rating. About 2 months before the accident, he sought flight training from a gyroplane flight instructor, and after that 1-day training session, he received an endorsement to conduct solo gyroplane operations on and just above the ground. The endorsement did not allow the pilot to fly in and around the airport traffic pattern solo. In the 2 months leading up to the accident flight, the pilot's logbook documented several flights consistent with adhering to the endorsement's limitations; however, beginning about 1 week before the flight, the entries showed that the pilot likely conducted flight maneuvers inconsistent with the endorsement's limitations. Although the specific circumstances about the accident could not be determined, the pilot's inexperience and failure to obtain additional training to get his authorization for additional flight operations in the accident aircraft type likely contributed to the outcome.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Training with equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 18.2 in this make and model; 24.3 in the last 90 days; 15.5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 275 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FWQ Monongahela PA
- Destination: FWQ Monongahela PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.