Investigators present conflicting findings on fatal gyroplane crash

Air accident investigators from the UK and Germany have arrived at distinct conclusions concerning the cause of a fatal gyroplane crash in the Highlands. Paul Nichol, a resident of Balloch, Inverness, died when his light aircraft descended into a field near Avoch on the Black Isle on November 12, 2020. The UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) reported that the accident transpired after the gyroplane’s rotor head detached from the main structure of the machine. Conversely, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), which participated due to the aircraft and its components being German-made, stated that the rotor head fractured as a direct result of the gyroplane’s flight operation and was not the principal cause of the incident. Mr. Nichol was a student pilot conducting a solo flight. Eyewitnesses described hearing the aircraft’s engine “roaring” and “spluttering” immediately before sounds of metal crunching and cracking were heard. The gyroplane crashed onto farmland, and local community emergency responders were among those who quickly arrived at the scene. In a statement released after the accident, Mr. Nichol’s family expressed that flying provided him with a sense of freedom and adventure. They also stated that he loved life and was consistently occupied with new projects. In a new report, the AAIB stated that in the period preceding the accident, the gyroplane might have inadvertently entered what they referred to as a low G flight regime. Investigators suggested this could have caused Mr. Nichol to experience a sensation of weightlessness, prompting him to then perform a sequence of manoeuvres that potentially subjected the aircraft’s design to stresses and strains. The AAIB concluded that the rotor head separated due to a “structural overload failure”. The AAIB has recommended that the Civil Aviation Authority issue new guidance on operating gyrocopters and re-evaluate the certification of these aircrafts’ airworthiness. The AAIB also stated that its investigation brought to light issues within gyroplane training material concerning pilots’ awareness of rotor load factor. The BFU reported that accident flight data and subsequent evaluation indicated that a loss of control of the aircraft contributed to the rotor head breaking.