A tourist boat crew watched in shock as a gyrocopter crashed and burst into flames on K’gari, narrowly missing beachgoers.

The AutoGyro aircraft model MTOsport 2010, registered 5Y-KWV, went down at about 7 am during a routine training exercise. It caught fire when it crash-landed at the Orly Airpark, authorities said.

The Pegasus “Gyroplane” has been around since the early 1960's but a new hybrid-electric design could finally bring a full production run for the distinctive aircraft. The intellectual ...