Amateur-built RAF-200 Gyro accident near Bend, Oregon, September 18, 2005
On September 18, 2005 at about 7:15 pm local time, a amateur-built RAF-200 Gyro (gyroplane), registered N4416N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bend, Oregon (Bend Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The malfunction of the flight controls for an undetermined reason, which resulted in a loss of control and in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2005 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Bend Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RAF-200 Gyro
- Registration
- N4416N · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during the initial takeoff climb from runway 34, he noticed that the "controls felt sluggish compared to normal precise feeling of the gyroplane." He decided to execute a 180 degree turn back to the taxiway parallel to the runway. As soon as he began a shallow turn to the right, the gyroplane entered "a very steep diving spiral turn," and the controls "seemed totally ineffective." The gyroplane continued to descend and turn until it impacted a road running perpendicular to the runway about 50 feet north of the departure end. The pilot reported that the "cause of control malfunction is uncertain."
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 710 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru 2.2 L EJ22 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S07 Bend OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.