An amateur-built aircraft accident near Little Rock, Arkansas, March 8, 1992
On March 8, 1992 at about 4:30 pm local time, a an amateur-built aircraft (gyroplane), registered N123ZT, was destroyed in an accident near Little Rock, Arkansas (N. Little Rock 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
A LOSS OF CONTROL FOR UNDETERMINED REASON(S).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1992 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Little Rock, Arkansas · N. Little Rock · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- An amateur-built aircraft
- Registration
- N123ZT · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FINAL APPROACH, AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL, THE GYROCOPTER WAS OBSERVED TO SUDDENLY ROLL LEFT INTO A 90 DEGREE BANK AND IMPACT THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE GYROCOPTER REVEALED NO ANOMALIES IN THE SYSTEMS OR EVIDENCE OF FAILED OR MALFUNCTIONING COMPONENTS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: gyroplane; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 1,653 hours in all; 1,599 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 47 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 27, 1992; 2 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,009 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from LIT, 7 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.