Air Command 532 accident near St.Francisville, Louisiana, June 28, 1987
On June 28, 1987 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Air Command 532 (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N532X, was destroyed in an accident near St.Francisville, Louisiana. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1987 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- St.Francisville, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Command 532, amateur-built
- Registration
- N532X · no longer on the register · serial 09-1986
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE GYROPLANE FLYING AT 10-15 FEET AGL WHEN IT STARTED A TURN TO THE RIGHT. IT CONTINUED THE RIGHT TURN AND DESCENDED INTO THE GROUND. DR. MOORE OF THE FAA SW REGIONAL FLIGHT SURGEON'S OFFICE STATED THAT THE PLT HAD CORONARY DISEASE AND THAT HE WAS INCAPACITATED AND POSSIBLY UNCONSCIOUS WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DUE TO A HEART ATTACK SUFFERED DURING THE FLIGHT. RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE PLT'S LAST MEDICAL WAS DATED AUGUST 16, 1984.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 142 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 110 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 55 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LA30 New Roads LA at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:48 pm from BTR, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.