Amateur-built RAF 2000 GTX accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, May 10, 2003
On May 10, 2003 at about 1:30 pm local time, a amateur-built RAF 2000 GTX (gyroplane), registered N9DQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain rotor speed during the takeoff which resulted in the gyrocopter descending and the main rotor impacting the ground, incurring damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2003 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RAF 2000 GTX
- Registration
- N9DQ · no longer on the register · serial H2-97-8-299
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was performing a normal crosswind takeoff on the grass, and shortly after liftoff he did not adequately control the main rotor speed, and allowed the gyrocopter to descend and its main rotor to hit the ground. He further stated that prior to the rotor hitting the ground there had been no mechanical failure or malfunction to the gyrocopter or any of its systems.
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: 300 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru Flat 4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGD Punta Gorda FL
- Destination: SEF Sebring FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.