Helicopter Gyroplane Collision Remains Under Investigation

The NTSB has released its preliminary report on a 29 July 2023 accident in which a Rotorway 162F helicopter and an ELA ECLIPSE 10 gyroplane, registrations N193AZ and N221EL respectively, collided mid-air in VMC conditions in the vicinity of Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Wittman Regional Airport (OSH).

The helicopter was destroyed, and its pilot and passenger fatally injured. The gyroplane, too, was destroyed, and its pilot fatally injured. The gyroplane’s passenger, however, survived the mishap with only minor injuries.

Both aircraft were operated as private flights under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

According to multiple videos and witness accounts, the gyroplane was on the base leg of a VFR approach to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Ultralight/Homebuilt Rotorcraft runway when it executed a left 360-degree turn. The helicopter, then positioned behind the gyroplane in the traffic pattern, was also approaching the runway on the base leg following a north/south paved road. The gyroplane impacted the left side of the helicopter at an altitude of approximately 250-feet AGL.

The two aircraft descended in near-vertical attitudes with debris separating from both. The helicopter impacted ground, coming to rest inverted. A post-impact fire ensued. The gyroplane impacted an unoccupied fixed-wing airplane parked between the aforementioned north/south paved road and OSH runway 36L. No ground injuries were reported.

Post-accident examination of the helicopter revealed both outboard sections of the aircraft’s main rotor-blades had separated and come to rest in the debris field. The main rotor-blades’ structures displayed impact marks and white paint transfers consistent with the gyroplane’s structure and paint color. The gyroplane’s right horizontal and vertical stabilizers displayed shear-cuts and separated structure consistent with helicopter main rotor-blade contact. The gyroplane’s main rotor-mast was separated at approximately mid-length and bore an impact signature consistent with the downed helicopter’s main rotor-blade. Examination of both aircraft revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures by which normal operation would have been precluded.

The accident remains under investigation.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov