Pilot dies after July Douglas County gyrocopter crash, officials confirm

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed the pilot of a gyrocopter that crashed in Larkspur in July died five days after the crash.

According to the NTSB, the pilot died after the accident that occurred on the morning of July 13. According to officials, a friend of the pilot says they flew the gyrocopter from Meadowlake Airport in Peyton to Central Colorado Airport in Buena Vista four days before the accident.

In the four days before the flight, the gyrocopter flew multiple times and was fine. On the morning of the crash, the pilot planned to fly to Davis Airfield in Colorado Springs, then head back towards Peyton when a woman heard the gyrocopter's engine "struggling" around 8:00 a.m, according to the NTSB.

Shortly before, a friend of the pilot told the NTSB the pilot had called them during the flight as they flew over Lake George in Park County and said everything was fine.

The woman who reported the crash then saw the gyrocopter's engine stop and it fell through the trees. She said the pilot was conscious but not speaking, according to officials. The 65-year-old pilot was then airlifted to a hospital, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

According to the NTSB, he died five days after the crash in a local hospital. The investigation is still listed as ongoing, according to the NTSB.

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