A Magini Gyro carrying two people from Festus, Missouri, crashed in rural Reynolds County around 5:53 p.m. Wednesday, about five and a half miles west of Annapolis. The aircraft struck a powerline, killing both people aboard.
Ozark Radio News, citing the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Troop G, reported that a 54-year-old man was piloting the Magini Gyro when it hit the powerline and went down. The pilot and his 50-year-old female passenger were fatally injured.
Rural Crash Site West of Annapolis
The crash occurred several miles outside Annapolis in a rural part of Reynolds County. The patrol account does not explain what led to the powerline strike or provide details about weather, the wreckage or effects on the ground.
A separate powerline-strike accident
A different general-aviation accident offers a documented example of the danger: In Brookville, Indiana, on July 10, 2002, a Sikorsky helicopter struck power transmission lines and impacted a lake, killing one person and seriously injuring two others, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. That accident involved a helicopter and different circumstances from the Reynolds County gyrocopter crash.
The available account identifies the pilot and passenger only as residents of Festus. It does not provide their names or information about the aircraft's ownership or history.
Troop G's Rising Toll For 2026
The two deaths pushed Troop G's fatality count for 2026 to its 23rd and 24th of the year, according to the patrol's own tally. That already surpasses the pace set in 2025, when the troop recorded 26 fatalities for the entire year.
The patrol account provided no further details about the status of an investigation into Wednesday's crash.
