Pavel Vagner TANGO2 accident near Cobden, Illinois, April 30, 2019
On April 30, 2019 at about 9:45 pm local time, a 2019 Pavel Vagner TANGO2 (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N857UV, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Cobden, Illinois. 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 the proper airspeed during the approach, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2019 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cobden, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pavel Vagner TANGO2, built 2019, amateur-built · all TANGO2s on the register
- Registration
- N857UV · no longer on the register · serial 000017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was working toward his gyroplane rating and had received a solo endorsement. He reported that, during approach, he turned from base to final and that the airspeed then decreased. He added that the gyroplane "abruptly settled" and then landed hard on the dirt surface. The rotor blades struck the ground, and the gyroplane came to rest upright. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and the rotor blades. 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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 20, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42.2 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 2, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Yamaha 1049cc (piston); 500 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cobden IL at 9:40 pm
- Destination: Cobden IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KCGI, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA19CA232.