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Atlas / NTSB / WPR22LA134

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR22LA134

2022-03-23 El Monte, California, United States Airport · EMT Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N1688B

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AUTOGYRO GMBH CAVALON

Year of manufacture

2013 · 9 years old at event

Engine

ROTAX 914 SERIES (100 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20131213

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A112D8

Registrant of record

CHEN CHRIS

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s diverted attention during landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the gyroplane reported that, during the landing roll, he diverted his attention to the dial of the rotor rpm and the gyroplane inadvertently ascended when he did not hold the control stick steady. He attempted to regain control by pushing the control stick forward, but the gyroplane rolled to the right, and the main rotor blade contacted the ground. The gyroplane came to rest on its left side and sustained substantial damage to the stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring equip/instruments-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_WPR22LA134.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.