Amateur-built SPORT COPTER VORTEX N924WG accident near Kingsland, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot’s diverted attention which resulted in an inadvertent descent and subsequent collision with a lake.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that the gyroplane took off uneventfully. About 400 ft above the ground, the pilot’s hat started to blow off in the wind. Concerned his hat and headset would blow off into the pusher propeller, he adjusted his hat and headset to insure they were secure, but “lost focus on flying.” By the time he’d secured his hat and headset, the gyroplane was at too low of an altitude to recover from the descent. It impacted in a lake about ¼ mile from the departure end of the runway. The gyroplane’s main rotor assembly sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the aircraft that would have precluded normal operations.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN21LA447 for the full record.