Probable cause
The incorrect installation by the pilot, who was not a certificated mechanic or repairman, of the main rotor head bearing block, which resulted in the in-flight separation of the rotor head.
NTSB analysis
The gyroplane was in the airport traffic pattern when witnesses saw the main rotor head separate in flight and the gyroplane subsequently impact terrain. The pilot's friends and the mechanic who performed the last conditional inspection reported that the pilot/owner performed most of the maintenance on the gyroplane and that he had recently installed the main rotor head bearing block. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the bearing block had been installed upside down and was being held in place solely by friction. The pilot was not a Federal Aviation Administration-certificated mechanic or repairman.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA056 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Nov 16, 2013
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Anahuac, Texas
- Nearest airport
- Chambers County (T00)
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Amateur-built DRAGONFLY
- N-number
- N975DF
- Category
- Gyroplane
- Year built
- 2009
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.