This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N396S
- History of Flight:
On December 23, 2025, at about 1315 local time, a privately-registered ELA Aviacion ELA-10 Eclipse, N396S, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at Morris Municipal Airport James R. Washburn Field (C09), Morris, Illinois. The sole pilot onboard was not injured. The local flight originated from C09.
According to a report from the FAA: "Aircraft incurred a prop strike, lost control and came to rest on its side."
However, an online forum poster reported the following:
"Before the rumors run ramped, let me shed some light on this incident having talked to the pilot right after he crawled out of the A/C.
The pilot experienced blade flap during takeoff, the “rotor blade” struck the tail, thus the report of a “blade strike” obviously from a reporter that doesn’t know anything about Gyrocopters.
In time I am confident the pilot will share details about this incident, as I believe we can always learn something, or at a minimum be reminded of the proper procedures when spooling up the rotors without actively using the mechanical pre-rotator.
The pilot was performing some T&G’s, after a landing he taxied Back to the numbers for another takeoff, Unfortunately in this case the rotor RPM deteriorated to a point that even the most skilled Gyro pilots would have struggled to get them up to speed again. Low rotor RPM + Stick back + rolling down the runway is the perfect formula for blade flap.
The good news he walked away without any injuries; the A/C is obviously another story, it’s unknown at this time if it worth rebuilding."
As explained in another post, check "SilverLight American Ranger AR-1, N529MW, accident occurred on December 16, 2025, at Colorado Air and Space Port (CFO/KCFO), Denver, Colorado", the FAA Rotorcraft Flying Handbook mentions the following:
BLADE FLAP
On a gyroplane with a semi-rigid, teeter-head rotor system, blade flap may develop if too much airflow passes through the rotor system while it is operating at low r.p.m. This is most often the result of taxiing too fast for a given rotor speed. Unequal lift acting on the advancing and retreating blades can cause the blades to teeter to the maximum allowed by the rotor head design. The blades then hit the teeter stops, creating a vibration that may be felt in the cyclic control. The frequency of the vibration corresponds to the speed of the rotor, with the blades hitting the stops twice during each revolution. If the flapping is not controlled, the situation can grow worse as the blades begin to flex and bend. Because the system is operating at low r.p.m., there is not enough centrifugal force acting on the blades to keep them rigid. The shock of hitting the teeter stops combined with uneven lift along the length of the blade causes an undulation to begin, which can increase in severity if allowed to progress. In extreme cases, a rotor blade may strike the ground or propeller.
