Amateur-built Air Command 503 accident near Prineville, Oregon, September 15, 2002
On September 15, 2002 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Air Command 503 (gyroplane), registered N25069, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prineville, Oregon (Prineville airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2002 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Prineville, Oregon · Prineville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Air Command 503
- Registration
- N25069 · no longer on the register · serial 1D188
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he flew the gyroplane down to about 11 feet above the runway surface for landing. He then pulled the control stick back to level the aircraft. The student pilot stated that the aircraft ballooned a little so he pushed the stick forward. At this point, the aircraft was about 12 feet above the runway and it began to rapidly descend. The student pilot applied power to arrest the sink rate, however, the rotor speed had decayed and the aircraft landed hard with no forward airspeed. After touchdown, the aircraft bounced and tilted to the left. The rotors contacted the runway surface and the aircraft came to rest on its left side. The student pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time.
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: 46 hours in all; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 92 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2002; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 ULDCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S39 Prineville OR at 3:45 pm
- Destination: S39
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 5,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.