Local

Pilot killed in Beverly Airport gyrocopter crash identified

The crash occurred during takeoff, according to the FAA.

A Calidus autogyro ZU-RHI. It is not known what type of gyrocopter was being flown during the crash at Beverly Airport Sunday. Bob Adams via Wikimedia Commons

By Susannah Sudborough

December 5, 2022

Local News

A 66-year-old man who crashed a gyrocopter Sunday morning at Beverly Airport has died of his injuries, The Boston Globe reported Monday.

The Essex County District Attorney’s Office identified the man as Geoffrey Muller, 66, of Manchester by the Sea.

Muller was the only person in the small aircraft when it crashed around 11:40 a.m. Sunday morning. He was taken to Beverly Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A spokesman for the FAA said the crash occurred during takeoff, the Globe reported.

The incident is under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as by local and state police.

A gyrocopter is an aircraft that looks like a small helicopter, but there is no engine spinning the main rotor. The rotor on a gyrocopter is powered by airflow, while forward thrust is generated with an engine-powered propeller.