UPDATED 4:31 PM CDT Aug 10, 2015
DAKOTA CITY, Iowa —
Humboldt County authorities said a small, experimental gyrocopter crashed in a rural area Sunday night, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said the gyrocopter crashed around 7 p.m. in the front yard of a home at 2045 K Road, about 1.5 miles north of Dakota City.
Rescue crews found two men in the wreckage. A passenger, Mike Chapman, 65, of Humboldt, was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Des Moines.
His condition has not been released. The pilot, Larry Erickson, 58, also of Humboldt, was transported to a hospital in Humboldt where he was later pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office said it appears the gyrocopter suddenly lost altitude and struck a tree before coming to rest in the yard.
A gyrocopter is an experimental aircraft that resembles a helicopter.
The National Traffic Safety Bureau is investigating the crash with the Federal Aviation Administration.
| Date: | 09-AUG-2015 |
| Time: | Night |
| Type: | RAF 2000 GT |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N315LK |
| C/n / msn: | 6456 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Airplane damage: | Unknown |
| Location: | Humbolt County, NE of Humbolt, IA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | |
The aircraft, an experimental Erickson built RAF 2000 GT, impacted a tree and open field terrain in Humbolt County northeast of Humbolt, Iowa. The gyrocopter sustained unreported damage and the pilot received fatal injuries. The passenger onboard the aircraft was seriously injured.
Sources:
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=178507
http://m.kcci.com/news/1-dead-1-injured-in-small-helicopter-crash/34633550
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2015/08/10/gyrocopter-pilot-fatality-humboldt-county-iowa/31421895/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=315LK
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_Air_Force_RAF_2000