Richmond, Rhode Island, Airport – October 24, 1986
On October 24, 1986, a 59-year-old Woonsocket man was piloting a gyroplane at the Richmond Airport when it crashed on takeoff killing him. The pilot was moving down the runway about four feet off the ground when the aircraft suddenly tilted to one side and one of the propeller blades struck the ground causing it to flip several times.
The pilot had owned the craft for less than a year.
Source: The Sun, (Westerly, R.I.), “Man Dies In Airport Crash”, October 26, 1986, page 2.