Air Command 532 accident near Stormville, New York, September 26, 1988
On September 26, 1988 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Air Command 532 (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Stormville, New York (Stormville 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
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
- September 26, 1988 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Stormville, New York · Stormville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Command 532, amateur-built
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACDNT OCCURRED AS THE NON-CERTIFICATED PLT WAS OPERATING THE NON-REGISTERED GYROPLANE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. WITNESSES HEARD A 'LOUD CRACK.' THEY THEN OBSERVED THE GYROPLANE DESCENDING IN AN APPARENT UNUSUAL ATTITUDE. THE GYROPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES, ADJACENT TO THE APCH END OF RWY 24 (APRX 240 FT SSE OF THE THRESHOLD). SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CAME TO REST, NORTH OF THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT, BETWEEN THE TREES & THE EXTENDED RWY CENTERLINE. PIECES OF THE RUDDER MOUNT WERE FOUND IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE THE GYROPLANE CAME TO REST; THE RUDDER MOUNT'S MODE OF FAILURE WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 475 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 521 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,320 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.