Amateur-built Air Command 532Elite accident near Highgate, Vermont, June 26, 2005
On June 26, 2005 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Air Command 532Elite (gyroplane), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Highgate, Vermont (Franklin County State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper cyclic input, which resulted in a retreating rotor blade stall, and its subsequent impact with the propeller. Also causal, was the pilot's failure to acquire proper training. A factor was the pilot's decision not to have a stability upgrade kit installed prior to flying the gyroplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2005 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Highgate, Vermont · Franklin County State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Air Command 532Elite
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot purchased the used gyroplane about 2 weeks prior to the accident. After assembling it, and 2 days before the accident, he conducted a series of touch and go landings, or "crow hops" along a runway. The day before the accident flight was his first flight. During the accident flight, a main rotor blade "folded," and the gyroplane descended nose first into wooded terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed airframe and rotor blade marks, consistent with retreating rotor blade stall, which could have resulted from either pilot input or "a sharp downdraft." Winds, about the time of the accident, at an airport 25 nautical miles to the south, were 7 knots, with no wind gusts reported. The make and model of gyroplane was known to be unstable, and the pilot was at least aware of a recommended upgrade kit to enhance stability, but had not installed it. The pilot was not rated in gyroplanes, and had spoken to a flight instructor about training, but then decided to self-train. The pilot also did not possess a repairman's certificate for the gyroplane.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,350 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FSO Highgate VT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from PLB, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.