Amateur-built ELA ECLIPSE 10 accident near Calhoun, Georgia, May 5, 2018
On May 5, 2018, a 2017 amateur-built ELA ECLIPSE 10 (gyroplane), registered N533EA, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Calhoun, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in a loss of altitude and necessitated a sudden descent to unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2018
- Place
- Calhoun, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ELA ECLIPSE 10 NO SERIES, built 2017
- Registration
- N533EA · no longer on the register · serial 05175331014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student gyroplane pilot reported that he "was flying behind the power curve," and the gyroplane lost altitude. He added that he couldn't tell if there were power lines ahead and decided to conduct a "hard vertical de[s]cent landing." The terrain was uneven, and the gyroplane rolled onto its side during landing. The student added that, before he decided to land, he got distracted for a few seconds and descended below a safe altitude. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rotor, fuselage, and empennage. The student 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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute
- Roll over during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 75 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 1, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,234 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914 (piston); 75 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CZL Calhoun GA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: CZL Calhoun GA
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KDNN, 18 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 August 1, 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Picture | 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.