N4844WJohn A Webb Jr WEBB 2 · 2013

On January 28, 2013, about 1745 central standard time, an experimental Webb 2, N4844W, descended into terrain while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern after takeoff at Gainesville Municipal Airport (GLE), Gainesville, Texas. The commercial pilot was attempting a high-speed taxi test when the gyrocraft inadvertently became airborne. The gyrocopter sustained substantial damage to the rotor and tail. The pilot was uninjured. The gyrocopter was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a test flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

The pilot stated that he received a temporary airworthiness certificate for the gyrocraft on January 26, 2013, and attended a Federal Aviation Administration Safety meeting in Olney, Texas. On the day of the accident, the pilot followed his test plan for high-speed taxi tests, which he performed at his home airport. During the fifth taxi text, the gyrocraft was about 3,000 feet down the runway when it "gently" lifted off the runway. The pilot was not "overly concerned" since everything felt "very smooth," and initiated a climb to about 50 feet above ground level at an indicated airspeed of 55-60 mph. He flew the gyrocraft down the runway for about 2,000 feet. He did not want to fly past the airport boundary nor any of the hangars on the southeast side of the runway, so he initiated a left turn to crosswind. The gyrocraft lost altitude faster than the pilot anticipated. The gyrocraft became "low, slow, and behind the power curve" at too low of altitude to recover and to prevent it from "mushing" into a "rough" landing. The lower tailboom touched down in a hard landing, which deformed the rudder and tailboom. The rotor was damaged when it contacted the ground.

The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had followed the test plan and landed that gyrocraft when it first lifted off. The pilot said that a lack of experience in the make and model of gyroplane contributed to the accident.