Amateur-built J4B-2 accident near Marysville, California, April 29, 2007
On April 29, 2007 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built J4B-2 (gyroplane), registered N445SM, was destroyed in an accident near Marysville, California. 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
An in-flight loss of control for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the impairment of the pilot by the drug substances identified in the toxicological testing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2007 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marysville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built J4B-2
- Registration
- N445SM · no longer on the register · serial 1394-2
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, witnesses in several different locations reported hearing a loud "pop" emanate from the gyrocopter and then it spiraled to the ground in a nose down attitude. One witness reported that the gyrocopter's nose was pushed up after it was struck by a gust of wind. He watched as the pilot corrected the pitch attitude by pushing the nose down. He then saw the gyrocopter tilting back and forth. A friend of the pilot, who is also the gyrocopter kit manufacturer, reported that he and the pilot had performed a pitch change adjustment to the main rotor system that was about 1/4 inch out of track. After the adjustment was made, the friend test flew the gyrocopter with no problems encountered. The gyrocopter was constructed of a tandem seat configuration fuselage with tricycle landing gear, a two-bladed teetering main rotor system, a rear mounted engine with a three-bladed propeller assembly, followed by a rudder, and vertical and horizontal stabilizers. An inspection of the gyrocopter by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector and the gyrocopter kit manufacturer revealed that only about 5 percent of the wooden three-bladed propeller remained affixed to the propeller hub. Reconstruction of the recovered propeller material found that one of the propeller blades had a deep concave deformity at the leading edge approximately 10 inches from the root. No evidence of propeller blade or main rotor blade to airframe contact was found, and the investigation could not explain the origin of the propeller blade defect nor its relationship to the accident's causation, if any. Toxicological tests revealed the presence in the blood of zolpidem (a prescription sleep aid) at a level consistent with very recent use, and very high blood levels of hydrocodone (a prescription narcotic painkiller), and diphenhydramine (an over-the-counter antihistamine). All three medications would have been expected to result in impairment of judgment and psychomotor skills. The pilot's ability to operate the gyrocopter with the levels of substances found suggests a substantial tolerance to their sedative effects, implying a long-term use of high doses. The pilot had not held a current FAA medical certificate in over 25 years.
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: 74 hours in all; 14 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,085 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EJ-22 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYV Marysville CA
- Destination: MYV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MYV, 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.