# Accident 19960528011679A: Ayres 600S2C, Thermal, CA, May 28, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 28, 1996, 07:11 local time
- Place: Thermal, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Pwr Off Run Land (Autorotation
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.9903° N, 117.3793° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.9903&lon=-117.3793&mi=10
- Aircraft: N600RN, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N600RN-1996-08-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 600N (registry code 3027377, https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-helicopter-600n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AYRES 600S2C
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 10,191 total, 1,095 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX96LA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX96LA207) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960528011679A

## Narrative

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

DURING REVERSE CYCLIC FLIGHT TEST MAIN ROTOR SEVERED TAILBOOM. AUTOROTATED. LANDED IN BRUSH. EXHAUST CAUSED FIRE.

## 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 LAX96LA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX96LA207), May 28, 1996: McDonnell Douglas MD-600 (N600RN), Thermal, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: inadequate design of the stress limits for cyclic control of the helicopter.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.