Medical Personnel Initially Reported That The Pilot Had Suffered A Stroke Just Before Takeoff...

Location: Venice, Florida Accident Number: ERA23LA267
Date & Time: June 10, 2023, 11:16 Local Registration: N49PF
Aircraft: Fly Gyros LLC M24 Orion Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control on ground Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Analysis: The pilot was attempting to take off when his gyroplane veered off the left side of the runway and impacted a fence substantially damaging the fuselage. According to a first responder, the engine and propeller were running, and the pilot, who appeared incoherent, was trying to climb out of the gyroplane. Once the engine was turned off, the pilot was removed from the aircraft and air-lifted to a trauma center.

Medical personnel initially reported that the pilot had suffered a stroke just before takeoff and had been dealing with a dissecting carotid artery for several weeks before the accident. The pilot’s wife told law enforcement that she spoke with her husband before the flight. She said he seemed normal, and he told her that a previous mechanical issue had been fixed, and the gyroplane was fit to fly. Postaccident examination of the gyroplane revealed no mechanical issues that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.

A postaccident medical review revealed the pilot experienced an acute embolic stroke near the time of the crash, likely caused by dissection of the carotid artery. The pilot had a history of left internal carotid artery stenosis, but no prior carotid dissection. The presence of internal carotid artery stenosis would have put the pilot at increased risk of experiencing an embolic stroke in the absence of dissection. Furthermore, carotid dissection may have occurred before the accident (spontaneously or as a result of minor trauma), leading to embolic stroke, which may have been delayed. However, it is also possible that the pilot’s carotid dissection and embolic stroke may have resulted from the blunt head and neck injury that he sustained in the accident. 

Such blunt injury is a recognized cause of carotid dissection that can rapidly result in embolic stroke. Thus, whether the pilot’s acute stroke occurred before the accident, or as a result of injury sustained in the accident, could not be determined.

Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control on takeoff for unknown reasons; whether the pilot’s acute stroke contributed to, or resulted from, the accident could not be determined.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov