Amateur-built Sport Copter Vortex accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, December 8, 2017
On December 8, 2017 at about 1:10 am local time, a 2003 amateur-built Sport Copter Vortex (gyroplane), registered N395SC, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Spanish Fork, Utah. 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 pilot’s failure to maintain situational and geographic awareness during the flight, which resulted in him becoming lost and exhausting the gyroplane’s fuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2017 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sport Copter Vortex, built 2003
- Registration
- N395SC · registry record · serial 095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the experimental amateur-built gyroplane, during a solo cross-country flight, he became lost and decided to follow a nearby highway. Unfamiliar with the area, he exhausted the gyroplane's fuel supply and landed on a highway. The gyroplane's nosewheel struck a passing car, but the gyroplane was able to touch down and stop on the right shoulder of the highway. A passing semi-truck struck the rotor blades of the gyroplane. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Fuel exhaustion during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Ground collision during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Geographic disorient (lost) › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 218 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 124 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 10, 2016
- Medical certificate: None (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 141 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 16, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 99 / 582 UL D (piston); 178 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 41U Manti UT at 11:40 pm
- Destination: U14 Nephi UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.62 inHg
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 May 16, 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 | Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.