The pilot of a small helicopter died after his aircraft’s engine stopped midflight over a small Douglas County community, according to federal investigators’ preliminary report on the crash.
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The pilot planned to fly the gyrocopter from Buena Vista to Peyton on July 13, according to the report published last week by the National Transportation Safety Board. He left the Buena Vista airport at 7 a.m. and checked in with a friend via telephone while flying above Lake George.
The pilot crashed at approximately 8 a.m. in Larkspur, near the Perry Park Country Club. A woman who was walking her dog at the time told federal investigators that she heard the gyrocopter flying low overhead and that the engine seemed to be struggling. The engine then stopped and the gyrocopter crashed through the trees, the woman said.
The pilot was conscious but unable to speak immediately after the crash, according to the report. He was transported to a hospital, but died of his injuries five days later.
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The gyrocopter’s engine was running at an extremely high level before the crash, according to the report.
The gyrocopter was not due for its annual inspection until September, according to the report. A friend of the pilot told federal investigators that they had been flying together for several days before the crash and the pilot’s gyrocopter had operated smoothly.
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The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the crash.
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