Airgyro Aviation LLC TERCEL accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, August 9, 2018
On August 9, 2018 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2017 Airgyro Aviation LLC TERCEL (gyroplane), registered N557AT, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Spanish Fork, Utah (Spanish Fork Arpt Springville- airport). It was an instructional 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 pitch and yaw control during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2018 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · Spanish Fork Arpt Springville- · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airgyro Aviation LLC TERCEL, built 2017
- Registration
- N557AT · no longer on the register · serial T&S F26817S
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot of the gyroplane reported that, during takeoff, he pulled the stick back and advanced the throttle to full. He accelerated and noticed "there was no tendency for the nose to rise," so he applied back pressure, and the gyroplane immediately turned left, rolled onto its side, and skidded off the runway to the left. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the main 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 flight instructor provided a video of the student pilot's accident takeoff. The video showed the gyroplane accelerating down the runway, rapidly pitching up, and immediately rotating to the left before impacting the runway.
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
- Abrupt maneuver during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 189 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 21, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 90 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPK Spanish Fork UT at 5:30 pm
- Destination: SPK Spanish Fork UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 5:33 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 31, 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 | Student Pilot's Statement | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photos | PDF, 4 pages | 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.