Amateur-built APOLLO accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, December 17, 2017
On December 17, 2017 at about 11:40 pm local time, a 2016 amateur-built APOLLO (gyroplane), registered N15LU, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near North Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to stop the main rotor rotation before taxiing the gyroplane in gusting wind conditions, resulting in the main rotor striking the empennage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 2017 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- North Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built APOLLO AG-01, built 2016
- Registration
- N15LU · no longer on the register · serial 010416
- 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, he landed on a taxiway and taxied to the runway intersection. The intersection was on the right side of runway 30R. The ramp where the pilot wanted to park, was across both runways, on the left side of runway 30L. Unfamiliar with the capabilities of the gyroplane, the tower controller asked the pilot to air taxi to the ramp. The pilot informed the tower controller that he could either ground taxi or takeoff and land on runway 30L then taxi to the ramp. The controller and the pilot agreed to the latter. The pilot further reported that, in anticipation of taxiing to parking, he had allowed the gyroplane's rotor speed to decrease; when he turned the gyroplane back onto the taxiway in the gusting wind, the main rotor struck the empennage and the pusher-propeller. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage and rotor system. The METAR at the accident airport reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was from 330° at 14 kts and gusting to 19 kts. The pilot reported that this accident could have been prevented if he had waited for the rotor blades to stop completely before repositioning the gyroplane for taxi. 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
- Other weather encounter during taxi
- Loss of control on ground during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Rotorcraft flight control › Main rotor control › Incorrect use/operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10,151 hours in all; 938 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 9,901 as pilot in command; 2,179 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Last flight review: January 17, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13.4 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 1, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,232 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 13 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT North Las Vegas NV
- Destination: VGT North Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 14 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KVGT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 14, 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 - Kantas | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | 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.