Amateur-built Air Command Elite accident near Hilo, Hawaii, July 19, 2006
On July 19, 2006 at about 1:05 am local time, a amateur-built Air Command Elite (gyroplane), registered N6111A, was destroyed in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii (Hilo International Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight separation of a control rod joint assembly, which resulted in the pilot's loss of control. The underlying reason for the separation could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2006 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Hilo, Hawaii · Hilo International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Air Command Elite
- Registration
- N6111A · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The gyrocopter collided with terrain following an in-flight separation of a control system rod. While making a right turn about 500 feet above ground level (agl), the pilot experienced a loss of control and the gyrocopter continued to roll to the right. The pilot attempted to regain control by correcting for the increasing rate of turn and descent of the gyrocopter, but he was not able to. He attempted to perform a forced landing and subsequently collided with terrain adjacent to the destination airport. The gyrocopter was constructed by and regularly maintained by the pilot. A post accident examination of the wreckage revealed that a bolt attaching a control rod in the cyclic system was missing. The bolt and its respective nut were never located. The gyrocopter manual states that during a preflight inspection, the pilot should verify the integrity of the nylon locking nut by twisting it in a counterclockwise direction. If the nut moves during this check, it should be replaced before the gyrocopter is flown.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,413 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,092 as pilot in command; 769 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHTO Hilo HI at 11:55 pm
- Destination: PHTO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from PHTO, 1 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.
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.