# Incident 19980405005559I: Amtr RAF2000, Springfield, TN, April 5, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 5, 1998, 14:45 local time
- Place: Springfield, TN
- Airport: Springfield Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.4952° N, 86.8725° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Springfield, TN, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.4952&lon=-86.8725&mi=10
- Aircraft: N70338, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N70338-2002-07-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Newman R E/Jones W RAF GTX SE (registry code 05605GB, https://openairdocs.org/model/newman-r-e-jones-w-raf-gtx-se) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Subaru ALL MDLS A/B (registry code 59050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/subaru-all-mdls-a-b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR RAF2000
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 950 total, 16 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980405005559I

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: THE NASHVILLE FSDO TELEPHONE AVAILABILITY INSPECTOR RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE REGIONAL COM CENTER SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT APPROXIMATELY 4:15 PM REPORTING A GYROCOPTER INCIDENT AT THE SPRINGFIELD, TN AIRPORT, M91. THE REPORT WAS THAT A RAF 2000, N70338, HAD RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN IT CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND AFTER TAKING OFF ON RUNWAY 4. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD FELT A VIBRATION AT APPROXIMATELY REACHING 50 TO 75 FEET AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT. AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO CORRECT THE SITUATION, HE SCANNED THE INSTRUMENTS AND NOTED THE ROTOR RPM WAS 270, THE ENGINE RPM WAS 4700 AND THE AIR SPEED WAS 60. AFTER DETERMINING HE COULD NOT CORRECT THE RIGHT TURN, HE DECIDED TO GO ON TO THE RIGHT AND LAND. HOWEVER, WITHOUT ENOUGH ALTITUDE HE WAS UNABLE TO CLEAR A DRAINAGE DITCH RESULTING IN THE ROTOR STRIKING THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED THE FOLLOWING DAMAGE: THE MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE CONSISTED OF BUCKLING IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION. THE DAMAGES TO THE ROTOR BLADES INDICATE THAT THERE WAS LITTLE ROTATIONAL INERTIA DAMAGE. ONE STRIKE MARK WAS FOUND ON THE GROUND THAT CAUSED ONLY A SLIGHT REARWARD BENDING MOTION. IT APPEARS THAT THE PILOT ALLOWED THE ROTOR RPM TO DECAY TO A POINT THAT THE RESULTANT LOSS OF LIFT PRECLUDED FURTHER CONTROLLED FLIGHT. THE VIBRATION HE DESCRIBED WOULD HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE DECELERATION OF THE ROTOR BLADES. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^

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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