Amateur-built BENSON B8 accident near Aurora, Colorado, September 3, 1993
On September 3, 1993 at about 11:27 pm local time, a amateur-built BENSON B8 (gyroplane), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Aurora, Colorado. 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
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE CENTER ENGINE MOUNT THAT ALTERED THE THRUST AND LIFT VECTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1993 · about 11:27 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BENSON B8
- Registration
- UNREG · 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
THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN FLYING BETWEEN 300 AND 400 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHEN, ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, IT SUDDENLY 'ROLLED RIGHT, NEARLY INVERTED, AND DESCENDED APPROXIMATELY 80 DEGREES NOSE DOWN.' SEVERAL DEEP GOUGES AND A SCRAPE MARK WERE NOTED ATOP THE ENGINE CRANKCASE, DIRECTLY BENEATH THE CENTER ENGINE MOUNTING BOLT. THE ENGINE MOUNT WAS FRACTURED. THIS FRACTURE, ACCORDING TO A METALLURGIST, WAS DUE TO FATIGUE. THE REMAINING FRACTURES WERE DUE TO OVERLOAD. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FLIGHT CONTROL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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: student
- Flight time: 90 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, September 3, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mcculloch 4318 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTG Watkins CO at 11:17 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.