Amateur-built VORTEX accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, May 4, 2017
On May 4, 2017 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 2014 amateur-built VORTEX (gyroplane), registered N514CL, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Spanish Fork, Utah (Spanish Fork-Springville-Woodh airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2017 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · Spanish Fork-Springville-Woodh · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VORTEX NO SERIES, built 2014
- Registration
- N514CL · no longer on the register · serial CL001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he flared the gyroplane too high and landed hard and that the gyroplane subsequently tipped over on its right side. He added that he evacuated the gyroplane before a postimpact fire ensued and destroyed the gyroplane. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with 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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 22, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 760 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 67 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: U77 Spanish Fork UT at 11:30 pm
- Destination: U77 Spanish Fork UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 10:58 pm from KPVU, 5 miles away
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 9, 2017. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.