# Accident 19980603023589A: Amtr ROTORWAYEXEC, Lexington, NE, June 3, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 3, 1998, 19:00 local time
- Place: Lexington, NE
- Airport: Jim Kelly Field Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.7709° N, 99.7404° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7709&lon=-99.7404&mi=10
- Aircraft: N132RS (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: AMTR ROTORWAYEXEC
- Reported engine: AMTRRW ROTWY162
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,500 total, 45 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA190](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA190) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980603023589A

## Narrative

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

ENGINE LOST POWER ON DESCENT. UNABLE RESTART. AUTOROTATED. ROLLED OVER LANDING. NO CARB HEAT. POSSIBLE CARB ICING. (.4) ACCORDING TO THE PILOT/BUILDER, THE HOMEBUILT HELICOPTER WAS IN CRUISE AT 1000 FEET AGL WHEN HE INITIATED A 200-300 FOOT PER MINUTE DESCENT. AFTER APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE, AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 500-700 FEET AGL, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. HE EXECUTED AN AUTOROTATION AND FORCED LANDING INTO A CORN FIELD. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER HAD SOME FORWARD VELOCITY ON LANDING, CAUSING ONE OF THE SKIDS TO SINK AND GET CAUGHT IN THE SOFT TERRAIN. THE HELICOPTER SUBSEQUENTLY NOSED OVER AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE TEMPERATURE AND DEWPOINT ON THE SURFACE WAS REPORTED TO BE 42 DEGREES F AND 38 DEGREES F RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO CARBURETOR ICING CHARTS, THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WAS OPERATING IN CONDITIONS FAVORABLE TO CARBURETOR ICING. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR HEAT SYSTEMS WAS OPERATING. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE DESCENT PHASE OF FLIGHT, THE ENGINE TEMPERATURES WERE INDICATING IN THE LOW END OF THE GREEN ARC, BUT HE DID NOT NOTICE THE CARBURETOR TEMPERATURE GAUGE INDICATION. THE VICE PRESIDENT OF ROTORWAY, INTERNATIONAL  AGREED TO ISSUE AN ADVISORY BULLETIN TO ALL REGISTERED OWNERS OF ROTORWAY HELICOPTERS HAVING THE RI-162 ENGINE, INFORMING THEM OF THE BACKGROUND OF THEIS ACCIDENT, AS WELL AS ALTERNATE WAY OF CARBURETOR ICING PREVENTION AND AVOIDANCE.

## 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 CHI98LA190](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA190), Jun 4, 1998: Rotorway Exec  90 (N132RS), Lexington, NE, substantial damage. Probable cause: An improper autorotation by the pilot in command. Factors contributing to this accident were the accumulation of ice in the carburetor resulting in a total loss of engine power, and the soft terrain.

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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