# Accident 19961013031979A: Amtr ROTORWAYEXEC, Sacramento, CA, October 13, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 13, 1996, 17:55 local time
- Place: Sacramento, CA
- Airport: Mather Afb
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Practice Training Manuevers
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.5402° N, 121.2810° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.5402&lon=-121.2810&mi=10
- Aircraft: N18WC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N18WC-1997-01-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cunningham W E ROTORWAY EXEC (registry code 13017LT, https://openairdocs.org/model/cunningham-w-e-rotorway-exec) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR ROTORWAYEXEC
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 100 total, 100 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97LA014](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA014) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961013031979A

## Narrative

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

HELICOPTER MADE HARD LEFT TURN, FOLLOWED BY HARD RIGHT, MAIN ROTOR STRUCK TAIL ROTOR. CRASHED AND BURNED. (.19) ON OCTOBER 12, 1996, AT 1755 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL ROTORWAY EXEC HELICOPTER, N18WC, CRASHED AT MATHER AIRPORT, MATHER, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A LOCAL VISUAL FLIGHT RULES PERSONAL FLIGHT.  THE HELICOPTER, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT FORCES AND THE RESULTING POSTIMPACT FIRE.  THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED WITH THE WINDS ESTIMATED BY WITNESSES TO BE AT 10 TO 15 MILES PER HOUR WITH GUSTS.  THE FLIGHT DEPARTED MATHER AIRPORT AT AN UNDETERMINED TIME. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER EXECUTE A HARD RIGHT TURN FOLLOWED BY A HARD LEFT TURN WITH SOME OSCILLATIONS.  DURING THIS MANEUVER, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE TAILBOOM.  THE HELICOPTER ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT AND CRASHED. (.4) THE PILOT OF A HOME BUILT HELICOPTER WAS ATTEMPTING TO DROP AN OBJECT (BAG OF FLOUR) TO A TARGET ON THE GROUND. APPROACHING THE TARGET AREA, THE HELICOPTER WAS OBSERVED TO MANEUVER, THEN IT WENT OUT OF  CONTROL AND CRASHED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED AND SEVERED THE TAILBOOM. ALSO, THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF MAST BUMPING. THE HELICOPTER WAS EQUIPPED WITH COMPOSITE MAIN ROTOR BLADES; KIT/FACTORY APPROVED BLADES WERE MADE OF METAL. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.

## 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 LAX97LA014](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA014), Oct 13, 1996: Cunningham Rotorway Exec (N18WC), Mather, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: excessive maneuvering by the pilot, which allowed the main rotor blades to contact and sever the tail rotor system and allowed mast bumping to occur.

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.