Amateur-built B-8M accident near Fountain Hills, Arizona, March 28, 1987
On March 28, 1987 at about 7:40 pm local time, a amateur-built B-8M (gyroplane), registered N282A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fountain Hills, Arizona. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 1987 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Fountain Hills, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built B-8M
- Registration
- N282A · no longer on the register · serial 1220
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE HOMEBUILT GYROCOPTER ENTERED A STEEP CLIMB AND APPEARED TO ROLL COMPLETELY OVER. HALFWAY THROUGH THE ENGINE BACKFIRED AND THEN QUIT. THE AIRCRAFT WENT INTO A STEEP DIVE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN NEAR VERTICALLY.
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; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 83 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 41 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 29, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mcculloch O-100-3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fountain Hills AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.