GREAT FALLS – A 57-year-old man was killed when his gyroplane collided with a small airplane that was parked near an aviation company at the Great Falls International Airport on Tuesday.
Cascade County Deputy Coroner Bob Rosipal said the Great Falls man was testing a battery that was installed in his gyroplane, a small craft that resembles a helicopter. The deputy coroner said witnesses told him the aircraft sounded like it was at “full throttle” when it wheeled to the right and into the wing of an unoccupied parked airplane. Rosipal said the gyroplane never left the ground.
An autopsy is planned for the victim, whose name has not been released. No other injuries were reported.
The Cascade County Sheriff’s office, local police and the Montana Air National Guard were among the agencies that responded to the crash site at Front Range Aviation on Tuesday evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to begin its investigation Wednesday.