Amateur-built Two Place #1 accident near Naguabo, Puerto Rico, December 8, 2019
On December 8, 2019 at about 6:05 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built Two Place #1 (gyroplane), registered N446PS, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Naguabo, Puerto Rico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the rudder attachment bolt, which resulted in the rudder’s subsequent inflight separation from the fuselage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2019 · about 6:05 pm local time
- Place
- Naguabo, Puerto Rico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Two Place #1, built 2013
- Registration
- N446PS · registry record · serial L ROR-01
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 10 minutes after departure while in cruise flight at 55-60 mph, the pilot began to feel a vibration in the airframe and an "abnormal drag." He reduced the engine power, and about that time, he felt the propeller sever the rudder cables. As he looked back, he saw the rudder separate from the airframe and the gyroplane began to spin. The pilot shut down the engine to reduce the torque and attempted to maintain control as the gyroplane rapidly descended until it impacted the ground. The fuselage and main rotor blades were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. An examination of photographs of the fractured bolt section that attached the rudder to the fuselage revealed that the bolt likely fractured as a result of reverse bending fatigue.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Rudder › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 311 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 3.7 in the last 90 days; 0.1 in the last 30 days; 233 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 26, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 66.8 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 23, 2019; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 S2 (piston); 67 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RVR Ceiba PR at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from TJNR, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on April 12, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Airframe Maintenance Logbook | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum for Record - NTSB Materials Laboratory | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Preflight Checklist - Before and After Accident | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.