Amateur-built AUTOGYRO CAVALON accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, November 19, 2017
On November 19, 2017, a 2013 amateur-built AUTOGYRO CAVALON (gyroplane), registered N953LS, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Casa Grande, Arizona (Casa Grande Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people 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 loss of directional control and a subsequent runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 2017
- Place
- Casa Grande, Arizona · Casa Grande Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AUTOGYRO CAVALON NO SERIES, built 2013
- Registration
- N953LS · no longer on the register · serial V00110
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during landing, the right wheel touched down first on the runway, and the gyroplane veered to the right. He added that, the "aircraft bounced from one wheel to the other" multiple times until the main rotor blade struck the runway. The gyroplane then rolled to the right, slid off the runway, and came to rest on its left side. A postcrash fire ignited in the engine compartment and consumed the gyroplane. The gyroplane was destroyed. 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Roll over during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 241 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 18, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 990 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914 (piston); 241 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: E77 San Manuel AZ at 11:20 pm
- Destination: CGZ Casa Grande AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 5,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 25, 2018. 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 |
| 3 | Roc | 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.