Amateur-built SUMMIT 23 accident near Wauchula, Florida, January 20, 2023
On January 20, 2023 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1992 amateur-built SUMMIT 23, registered N40DG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Wauchula, Florida (Wauchula Muni 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
The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and dynamic rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 2023 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Wauchula, Florida · Wauchula Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SUMMIT 23, built 1992
- Registration
- N40DG · no longer on the register · serial 9203
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was attempting to make a crosswind landing and flared too high. He tried to recover by adding power, but it was too late, and the gyroplane landed hard on the left main landing gear. The gyroplane then bounced back and forth on both main landing gear before it rolled over and substantially damaged the main rotor blades and tail section. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Dynamic rollover during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,260 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 0.6 in the last 90 days; 0.6 in the last 30 days; 2,107.4 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 15, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 350.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,005 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from KBOW, 26 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KBOW 202045Z 30003KT 10SM SKC 27/17 A3009
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 15, 2023. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 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.