# Accident 19960505009279A: Amtr EXEC90, Somerset, PA, May 5, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 5, 1996, 17:00 local time
- Place: Somerset, PA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.9993° N, 79.0702° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.9993&lon=-79.0702&mi=10
- Aircraft: N162AK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N162AK-2017-04-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: D & E Rotorcraft EXEC 90 (registry code 0560294, https://openairdocs.org/model/d-e-rotorcraft-exec-90) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotorway RW-100 series (registry code 55001, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotorway-rw-100-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR EXEC90
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,220 total, 13 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC96LA099](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC96LA099) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960505009279A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT DEVELOPED MECHANICAL PROBLEM, EMERGENCY LANDING IN PARKING LOT OF MALL, LANDED HARD AND FLIPPED ONTO SIDE. (.19) ON MAY 5, 1996, ABOUT 1700 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A HOMEBUILT ROTORWAY, EXEC 90, HELICOPTER, N162AK, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHILE LANDING IN SOMERSET, PENNSYLVANIA. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE LOCAL, PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION FLIGHT WHICH ORIGINATED AT BLAIRSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ABOUT 1620, AND WAS OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. IN THE NTSB ACCIDENT REPORT, THE PILOT STATED:  "...THROTTLE STUCK ON APPROACH TO LANDING AT HORIZON OUTLET MALL...INADEQUATE POWER IN STUCK POSITION RESULTED IN HARD LANDING AND ROLL OVER."  AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR STATED: "...THE PILOT...STATED HE THOUGHT THE HEAT BUILD-UP AFT OF THE CABIN CAUSED THE NYLON BUSHINGS IN THE COLLECTIVE THROTTLE SYSTEM TO STICK.  THE COLLECTIVE AND THROTTLE SYSTEM WERE REMOVED FROM THE AIRCRAFT FOR TEST...PLACED THE ASSEMBLY IN AN OVEN AND HEATED IT TO 150 DEGREES.  THE TEMPERATURE WOULD BE APPROXIMATE TO THE HEAT IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AREA. IT REQUIRED BOTH HANDS TO MOVE THE TWIST GRIP  A FRACTION OF AN INCH AFTER HEATED...THE BUSHINGS IN QUESTION WILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL CLEARANCE FOR THE THROTTLE ROD...."ADDITIONAL TESTING WAS CONDUCTED BY THE MANUFACTURER USING BUSHINGS WITH 0.002 AND 0.005 CLEARANCE. THE TESTING REVEALED THAT WITH THE 0.002 INCH CLEARANCE BUSHING AND A TEMPERATURE OF 200 DEGREES F, "...WAS VERY HARD TO TURN AND WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE THROTTLE SETTINGS...." ADDITIONALLY, THEY NOTED:  "...FOR PRODUCTION THE THROTTLE SHAFT BUSHING TOLERANCE ARE MADE TO HAVE A MINIMUM OF .005 INCH AND A MAXIMUM OF .009 INCH BASED ON THE THROTTLE SHAFT BEING .375 INCH DIAMETER...." IN A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW, FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR, PATRICK SHIPPERT, REPORTED THAT THE BUSHINGS WERE SUPPLIED BY THE KIT MANUFACTURER. (.4) THE HOMEBUILT, EXPERIMENTAL HELICOPTER WAS ON APPROACH TO AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING AREA, WHEN THE PILOT REALIZED THAT HE COULD NOT CHANGE THE THROTTLE SETTING. THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN HARD, AND ONE SKID COLLAPSED. THE COLLECTIVE/THROTTLE ASSEMBLY WAS REMOVED. WHEN HEATED, THE THROTTLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO MOVE. TESTING BY THE KIT MANUFACTURER OBTAINED SIMILAR RESULTS. THE BUSHINGS THAT RESTRICTED THE THROTTLE MOVEMENT WERE SUPPLIED B Y THE KIT MANUFACTURER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC96LA099](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC96LA099), May 5, 1996: Elves Rotorway Exec 90 (N162AK), Somerset, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: the kit manufacturer's inadequate design of a throttle bushing, which resulted in insufficient clearance after the bushing became heated, restricted throttle movement, lack of engine response, hard…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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