Returning From Brunch At Bensen Days

The mood at Bensen Days turned somber Friday, March 31, after two well-loved gyro pilots perished in a crash. Terry Eiland of Crystal River, FL, was the owner and builder of the machine that crashed. His passenger, Bill "Doc" Finnegan of Illinois, was a student pilot and undertaking construction of a gyroplane similar to the mishap aircraft.

The gyroplane, an AAI Sparrowhawk, was one of three gyros in a loose gaggle, which had flown out to brunch and was now headed back. The pilot of a trailing gyro observed the mishap gyro begin a descent which then gradually steepened, until the aircraft hit the ground in an extreme nose-down attitude at approximately cruise speed, and burst into flames. The aircraft were about eight and a half miles from their destination and original launch point, Wauchula airport.

The accident touched off a brush fire that burned, according to one report, 100 acres. Police secured the wreckage for investigators; it has been removed to a secure facility for examination.

Eiland completed the aircraft (shown below) in May 2004, and it had flown some 300 hours since then. He had previously constructed an RAF 2000 gyroplane, which was signed off in May 2000. He was a dealer for AAI and a multitalented pilot, with commercial privileges in Rotorcraft Gyroplane, and private and instrument privileges in airplane, single engine land. His son David was also a gyroplane pilot and builder.

"Doc" Finnegan’s PRA chapter members admired him for his enthusiasm for flying in general and gyroplanes in particular. He was also an avid videographer who enjoyed sending his video footage to gyro buddies worldwide.

Finnegan was one of several passengers, some of them Sparrowhawk flyers or builders, who arranged rides with Eiland informally. The next day, the man who had flown before Finnegan, and the one who was next in line, were left with many questions about life, and fate.

This is the first fatal accident in a Sparrowhawk and has dismayed many, as the machine was designed and has been promoted specifically for its safety features. The accident has been particularly emotionally devastating to AAI's executives and instructors, who worked closely with Eiland and who had the greatest respect for him. 
AAI's competitors expressed their sadness and sympathy as well.

The accident will be investigated by NTSB, which has received assurances of cooperation from several potential parties to the investigation. At this stage, it's impossible to do anything but speculate about the cause.

At Bensen Days, flying gradually resumed after the accident took the wind out of everyone's sails. By Saturday afternoon, the air was alive with gyroplanes, helicopters, fixed-wing airplanes, and even powered parachutes and paramotors. After all, if one message could be taken away from the lives of Terry Eiland and Bill "Doc" Finnegan, it was certainly this: "Keep flying!"

Aero-News extends our heartfelt condolences to the families of Terry Eiland and Doc Finnegan.

(Note: Our reporter on scene at Bensen Days knew Terry Eiland, but not Doc Finnegan. Almost every person at the fly-in knew one or both well. Accordingly, we went "off the record" in all discussions, on any specifics about the men or the mishap. This report was compiled exclusively from publicly available information, and released only when we could confirm that family members had been notified).

FMI: www.ntsb.gov