Gyrocopter goes down in Cape County field

A gyrocopter pilot was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after the experimental aircraft he was flying crashed in a field west of Cape Girardeau.

The pilot's name was not immediately available, but Capt. David James of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department said he did not appear seriously hurt.

"He's at least alive, sitting up and talking," James said. "... He looked like he was in good shape."

The owner of the field where the aircraft went down reported it was flying low enough for the pilot to wave at him before it hit a wire and crashed, James said.

The landowner tried to alert the pilot to the presence of the wire, James said.

"It looks like he hit that wire and just burned into the beanfield," he said.

No one else was injured in the crash, and the only damage appeared to be to the gyrocopter and a swath of beans about 50 yards long and two rows wide, James said.

Assistant chief Mark Hasheider of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department said the gyrocopter was flying out of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Hasheider said his department assisted Gordonville firefighters at the scene.

Gyrocopters are small, helicopter-style aircraft with a pair of propellers -- one on top and one on the back.

"They're pretty safe for the most part," James said.

He said most gyrocopters have just one seat, but the one that crashed Thursday was a two-seater model designed for training.

James said the Missouri State Highway Patrol was working the scene, and officials from National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.

Until the NTSB investigation is finished, the gyrocopter likely will remain where it is, James said.

"They don't carry much fuel on those things," he said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

County Road 203, Cape Girardeau County, MO