A homemade helicopter described as an “experimental aircraft” reportedly crash landed onto a private field in Florida on Saturday, causing two fatalities.
Both people inside the chopper died, and police described the state of the small aircraft after the collision near Jacksonville as “badly mangled and badly burned,” according to News 4 Jax.
A helicopter that authorities said appeared to be homemade crashed in Florida on Saturday, killing at least two people who were onboard. https://t.co/XjwkqoTn4o
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 30, 2022
The allegedly homemade experimental aircraft was a gyrocopter, according to News 4 Jax. (RELATED: Fireball In BYU Dorm: Student Causes Explosion With Homemade Rocket Fuel)
A homemade helicopter??? https://t.co/ypS088MIvB
— Chris Russell AKA the 🐓🐓! (@Russellmania621) July 30, 2022
Gyrocopters use airflow to power the horizontal rotor in flight, but, like a helicopter, use a conventional propellor for forward propulsion, according to SKYbary. (RELATED: REPORT: Man Dies After Walking Into Helicopter Blades)
The scene of the collision was reportedly 100 feet between two buildings, and a local official stated that the operator likely committed a last act of heroism in an effort to dodge the nearby structures, the outlet added.
The cause of the fatal crash currently remains unclear and investigators are still surveying the scene as of Sunday, according to News 4 Jax.