Fall River, Massachusetts – June 4, 1989
On the evening of June 4, 1989, a 30-year-old man took off from a runway at the Fall River Airport in a home-built ultralight “gyrocopter” aircraft. A few seconds after take off, when at an altitude of between 50 to 60 feet, the aircraft suddenly dove to the ground. Several witnesses ran to aid the pilot and began CPR, but the pilot did not survive. The accident was videotaped by the pilot’s girlfriend.
Source: Providence Journal, “Pilot Killed In Gyrocopter Crash”, June 6, 1989, page E-3.