Amateur-built BENSEN B-8M accident near Corona, California, August 13, 2022
On August 13, 2022 at about 7:48 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built BENSEN B-8M (gyroplane), registered N532KB, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Corona, California (Corona Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue failure of the engine mount resulting in a loss of engine power and directional control while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2022 · about 7:48 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Corona, California · Corona Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BENSEN B-8M, built 2007
- Registration
- N532KB · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the gyroplane reported that, while in the traffic pattern and shortly after a turn onto the final approach leg, he heard and felt a “bang” and the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to maintain airspeed; however, the gyroplane entered a descending, slow spin. The pilot was able to flare just before landing hard in a flat attitude. The gyroplane contacted the dirt and flipped onto its side before the rotor blades came to a stop. Postaccident examination of the engine mount revealed fatigue cracks exhibiting ratchet marks with multiple origin points emanating from the toe weld that secured two washers onto the steel tube. When the engine mount failed, it dropped several inches and allowed the propeller to strike the keel tube, severing the right rudder cable and causing a loss of directional control while maneuvering.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the airframe structure
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 10 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 26, 2022
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65.7 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 1, 2020; 33.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 66 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from KAJO, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAJO 131956Z AUTO 27009G17KT 10SM CLR 36/15 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP119 T03610150
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – View of damage to main rotor driveshaft
Photo 2 – Overview of damage to the horizontal a vertical stabilizersThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on April 25, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory Report 23-002 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Aircraft Logbook Entries | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photographs | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N532KB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 532 35 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Corona Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,069 since 1982 · 1,087 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA302.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.