19970627036149I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Sego Tool HAWK 1X · Tooele, UT · June 27, 1997

Date: June 27, 1997 · 09:30 local
Place: Tooele, UT
Airport: Tooele Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: To Vertical (Helicopter Only)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4379X
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 14,400 total1 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days

N4379XRegistration cancelled Mar 23, 2018 · Sego Tool HAWK 1XS/N 101X · Built 1992 Airframe modelSego Tool HAWK 1X Engine modelLycoming T0-360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on 06-27-97 the test protocol required evaluation of the nosewheel anti-shimmy device and performance of the rotor system. At approximately 0930 a normal takeoff roll was started. Just prior to liftoff the retreating rotorblade struck the ground a glancing blow. The pilot mistook the blade strike as a nose wheel shimmy and pursued a normal takeoff and "in ground effect acceleration." Approximately 30 seconds after liftoff, the test plan called for a best rate climb. The pilot observed degraded climb performance and elected to make a precautionary landing, on level terrain within the airport boundary. A normal landing was executed. Normal engine/rotor shutdown was accomplished. Post flight disassembly of the rotor system revealed no damage to the rotorhead. Inspection of the rotor blades showed abrasion, approximately 2 cm of lower blade skins at the rotor tips and wrinkling of the upper blade skins aft of the spar. This is a final report.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON 06-27-97 THE TEST PROTOCOL REQUIRED EVALUATION OF THE NOSEWHEEL ANTI-SHIMMY DEVICE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE ROTOR SYSTEM. AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 A NORMAL TAKEOFF ROLL WAS STARTED. JUST PRIOR TO LIFTOFF THE RETREATING ROTORBLADE STRUCK THE GROUND A GLANCING BLOW. THE PILOT MISTOOK THE BLADE STRIKE AS A NOSE WHEEL SHIMMY AND PURSUED A NORMAL TAKEOFF AND "IN GROUND EFFECT ACCELERATION." APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS AFTER LIFTOFF, THE TEST PLAN CALLED FOR A BEST RATE CLIMB. THE PILOT OBSERVED DEGRADED CLIMB PERFORMANCE AND ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING, ON LEVEL TERRAIN WITHIN THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY. A NORMAL LANDING WAS EXECUTED. NORMAL ENGINE/ROTOR SHUTDOWN WAS ACCOMPLISHED. POST FLIGHT DISASSEMBLY OF THE ROTOR SYSTEM REVEALED NO DAMAGE TO THE ROTORHEAD. INSPECTION OF THE ROTOR BLADES SHOWED ABRASION, APPROXIMATELY 2 CM OF LOWER BLADE SKINS AT THE ROTOR TIPS AND WRINKLING OF THE UPPER BLADE SKINS AFT OF THE SPAR. THIS IS A FINAL REPORT.