Overview
- A yellow Harbin XLI gyroplane performing a low‑altitude demonstration in a three‑aircraft formation spun out, emitted smoke at the rear, and crash‑landed onto two tourists at Chaka Sky No. 1 Scenic Area.
- The crash struck two spectators who were taken to Ulan County People’s Hospital and later transferred to a larger Haixi Prefecture facility, with officials reporting their vital signs as currently stable and one person sustaining serious head injuries.
- Authorities seized the gyroplane and closed the scenic spot while the Ulan County Joint Investigation Group conducts an active investigation into the cause of the accident.
- Video of the incident shows the aircraft losing control before impact and investigators have said early indications point to wake turbulence from a nearby aircraft as a possible contributing factor.
- A gyroplane is a small, self‑rotating rotorcraft that typically carries two to three people, and wake turbulence refers to the disturbed air left behind another aircraft that can unsettle a following rotorcraft at low altitude.