Accident to the Magni M24 PLUS identified 49ABZ on 31/08/2020 at Saumur - Saint-Florent (Maine-et-Loire)

Cat. 2 investigation report: simplified-format report, adapted to the circumstances of the occurrence and the investigation stakes.

The gyroplane training of the pilot, already experienced on other microlight classes, was without incident. The instruction took place alternately on one of the flying school’s Magni M16 and on the Magni M24 Plus that the pilot had recently purchased. This alternation between the two types of gyroplane did not pose any particular difficulty for the pilot, but his instructor had told him to remain measured when managing the power during take-off for his first solo flights in the M24 Plus, more powerful than the M16. Several days after receiving his gyroplane rating, the pilot, alone on board, had made runway circuits at Saumur, the new base for his gyroplane.
On the day of the accident, the pilot met two acquaintances, pilots and owners of a lower-end range of gyroplanes, interested in finding out more about the Magni M24 Plus. These two pilots, who were positioned near the runway, observed the take-off of 49ABZ.
The pre-rotation and transition between the take-off run and the level-off took place normally.
During the horizontal acceleration, the pilot, who had little gyroplane experience, made an excessive input on the pitch control. As a result, the microlight adopted a steep nose-up attitude, practically vertical.
It should be noted that this flight took place in a context in which the pilot, newly rated and described as “daring” by those who knew him, acted out his wish to be able to fly solo in his microlight after several months of training. It is therefore possible that a desire to demonstrate the performance of his newly acquired gyroplane to the pilots who remained on the ground, who were acquaintances and who he knew were interested in this type of microlight, contributed to this excessive nose-up attitude.
The steep climb at full power led to the decrease in apparent weight of the gyroplane, resulting in a decrease in rotor speed. The pilot, probably surprised by the steep nose-up attitude of his gyroplane and by this dynamic situation, was unable to regain control of the path. He finally lost control of the gyroplane in roll and it collided with the ground near the runway.