Amateur-built RAF 2000 accident near Gardiner, Montana, May 30, 2001
On May 30, 2001 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built RAF 2000 (gyroplane), registered N2361S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gardiner, Montana (Gardiner Airport). 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 rotate the aircraft until he was well past the normal takeoff rotation speed, and his abrupt rotation at this higher speed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2001 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gardiner, Montana · Gardiner Airport · 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
- Registration
- N2361S · registry record · serial H2-98-9-395
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, the pilot failed to rotate the gyrocopter until he was well past the normal takeoff rotation speed. When he did rotate, he did so abruptly, causing the rotor blades to stall. The blades then flapped downwards, impacting the terrain and cutting the tail off the aircraft.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 1,050 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 72 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 29, 2001; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,540 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EV-22 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 29S Gardiner MT at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.