Amateur-built AIRCOMMANDER 532 accident near Hansen, Idaho, January 11, 1990
On January 11, 1990 at about 8:42 pm local time, a amateur-built AIRCOMMANDER 532 (gyroplane), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Hansen, Idaho. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILUE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE GYROCOPTER AFTER ENTERING AN ABRUPT PULL-UP FROM A LOW PASS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES, HIS LACK OF CERTIFICATION (QUALIFICATION) FOR THIS FLIGHT, AND HIS LACK OF FLYING EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 1990 · about 8:42 pm local time
- Place
- Hansen, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AIRCOMMANDER 532 AIRCOMMAND
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 0572
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A SALES DEMO FLIGHT IN THE UNCERTIFICATED GYROPLANE, PERFORMING MANEUVERS AT A LOW ALTITUDE. HE MADE A LOW PASS AT 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, AND INITIATED A STEEP ANGLE, MAXIMUM RATE CLIMB TO APPROX 50 FEET. THE ACFT SPUN TO THE RIGHT, ROLLED ONTO ITS SIDE, DESCENDED VERTIALLY AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE UNLICENSED PILOT HAD ABOUT 23 HOURS FLIGHT 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
- Flight time: 23 hours in all; 23 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:05 pm from TWF, 9 miles away
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.