What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.4)The certificated private airplane pilot, the sole occupant & holder of a solo endorsement for helicopters, was beginning a cross-country flight in an experimental homebuilt helicopter. After takeoff, he heard a sharp bang & observed smoke in the cockpit. He declared an emergency, entered an autorotation, & selected an emergency landing area on a beach, but the area was covered with large boulders. During the flare & landing, the engine responded momentarily, when the pilot raised the collective pitch control, but the engine did not have sufficient power to hover. The helicopter sustained damage to the landing gear skids, the tail rotor, & the tail boom structure adjacent to the tail rotor assembly. An exam revealed the engine compartment was coated with engine coolant. The air intake filter was saturated with coolant, & 1 electronic ignition system was rendered inoperative from coolant saturation. A pressure test of the coolant system revealed a leak & spraying of coolant from a coolant pump manifold fitting. The pilot indicated the fitting had a rubber hose attached by a clamp, & coolant was leaking at the attach point. Also, he said the hose had been installed with excessive tension at the fitting due to it being 1/2 inch too short. He had accured 47 hrs in helicopters.
As the FAA filed it
(.4)THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE AIRPLANE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT & HOLDER OF A SOLO ENDORSEMENT FOR HELICOPTERS, WAS BEGINNING A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT IN AN EXPERIMENTAL HOMEBUILT HELICOPTER. AFTER TAKEOFF, HE HEARD A SHARP BANG & OBSERVED SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY, ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION, & SELECTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING AREA ON A BEACH, BUT THE AREA WAS COVERED WITH LARGE BOULDERS. DURING THE FLARE & LANDING, THE ENGINE RESPONDED MOMENTARILY, WHEN THE PILOT RAISED THE COLLECTIVE PITCH CONTROL, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT POWER TO HOVER. THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR SKIDS, THE TAIL ROTOR, & THE TAIL BOOM STRUCTURE ADJACENT TO THE TAIL ROTOR ASSEMBLY. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS COATED WITH ENGINE COOLANT. THE AIR INTAKE FILTER WAS SATURATED WITH COOLANT, & 1 ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM WAS RENDERED INOPERATIVE FROM COOLANT SATURATION. A PRESSURE TEST OF THE COOLANT SYSTEM REVEALED A LEAK & SPRAYING OF COOLANT FROM A COOLANT PUMP MANIFOLD FITTING. THE PILOT INDICATED THE FITTING HAD A RUBBER HOSE ATTACHED BY A CLAMP, & COOLANT WAS LEAKING AT THE ATTACH POINT. ALSO, HE SAID THE HOSE HAD BEEN INSTALLED WITH EXCESSIVE TENSION AT THE FITTING DUE TO IT BEING 1/2 INCH TOO SHORT. HE HAD ACCURED 47 HRS IN HELICOPTERS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.