Clark BARNETT J4B2 accident near Marysville, California, August 18, 1998
On August 18, 1998 at about 7:08 pm local time, a Clark BARNETT J4B2 (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N694, was destroyed in an accident near Marysville, California (Yuba County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate rigging of the rotor blades and rudder, which led to an inability to maintain control of the gryocopter. The pilot's inadequate landing flare in soft terrain, which resulted in a nose low touchdown and subsequent nose over, and, his limited experience in gyroplanes were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1998 · about 7:08 pm local time
- Place
- Marysville, California · Yuba County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Clark BARNETT J4B2 BARNETT J4, amateur-built
- Registration
- N694 · no longer on the register · serial 169
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was testing out a new set of rotor blades that he had recently changed. The pilot reported that the gyrocopter unexpectedly shot straight up into the air 50 feet during the takeoff ground roll. He had trouble maintaining control, stating that the aircraft immediately yawed to the left and it felt like the left rudder was being held. The pilot made a pattern circuit and decided to land in a dirt area adjacent to the runway. He said he landed nose low in soft dirt, which broke the nose wheel off, slid 30 feet and then nosed over. An FAA inspector examined the aircraft and reported that the main rotor, rotor head, and the empennage control surfaces were destroyed.
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: student
- Flight time: 35 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,285 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EJ22 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 6,006 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:08 pm from MVY, 3 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.