The gyrocopter falls from the sky like a stone: a gyroplane crashes on its approach to the Hildesheim airfield and two people die.
Hildesheim – Two people died when a gyroplane crashed in Hildesheim on Wednesday. A police spokesman said the microlight aircraft crashed on an outdoor area of the airfield.
The pilot wanted to land, but there was a so-called "air separator" – parts of the machine came loose for an unexplained cause, the gyroplane fell from about 50 meters.
The crash occurred about 400 meters from the airport near a logistics center. A 60-year-old from Hildesheim and a 53-year-old from Oldendorf in the Stade district were on board. The gyrocopter "fell like a stone from the sky," said police officers who saw the crash while attending driver safety training.
Gyroplanes fly by autorotation, which means that the wind alone sets the rotor turning, creating the necessary lift. A propeller provides propulsion. The Federal Bureau for Aircraft Accident Investigation from Braunschweig started work on the accident site with several investigators. dpa
