I have never flown a gyrocopter, but they are a prominent part of GA (James Bond springs to mind).
A few years ago there were a lot of doubts about safety and at least some were grounded if memory serves me right, but improved designs and I guess training have brought them back on the scene.
Then a Gyrocopter was involved in a fatal accident on the ground when that copter was (allegedly?) used in anti-hunting activities. Not sure how the pilot's trial ended but it made BIG headlines.
I saw a picture of a recently developed fully enclosed cockpit Gyro and it looked very good. Believe it as of Italian build?
So the cause of this sad accident will be of interest to many. If ever Gyrocopters are to take off in a big way they need to be of safe construction and limit easily-made fatal pilot induced mistakes.
Perhaps someone with knowledge of Gyrocopters these days is willing to shed some light on the general safety state of the gyrocopter market?