March 27, Overton, Nev. / RAF 2000 gyrocopter

At 11:24 PST, an amateur-built RAF 2000 GTX SE gyrocopter crashed on the runway at Perkins Field Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot had recently purchased the aircraft and this was his first flight in it. A witness saw the pilot in closed traffic, porpoising through the air on downwind. During the base leg, the gyrocopter appeared to be flying straight and level. The witness then saw the gyrocopter turn on final, saw it porpoising again, then saw it turn on its side and fall inverted to the ground.