# Accident 19980919025519A: Amtr MINI500, Cahokia, IL, September 19, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 19, 1998, 13:30 local time
- Place: Cahokia, IL
- Airport: St Louis Downtown-Parks Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.5700° N, 90.1692° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.5700&lon=-90.1692&mi=10
- Aircraft: N611AB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N611AB-2000-04-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Barklage Allen REVELUTION MINI 500 (registry code 05604XJ, https://openairdocs.org/model/barklage-allen-revelution-mini-500) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR MINI500
- Reported engine: AMTR 582
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 28,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98FA353](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98FA353) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980919025519A

## Narrative

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

HELICOPTER TOOK OFF, CLIMBED TO ABOUT 500 FEET AGL, AND DESCEDED STEEPLY INTO A SOYBEAN FIELD. (-23)BASED ON WITNESS STATEMENTS; SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM CPS AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 150-200 FEET, ENGINE NOISE STOPPED, THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE DIPPED, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO AUTOROTATE.  THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE CRITICALLY INJURING PILOT AND CAUSING DESTRUCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT.                                     (.4) A  WITNESS WATCHED THE HELICOPTER AS IT CLIMBED OUT AFTER TAKEOFF.  THE WITNESS SAID THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS HIGHER THAN THE TELEPHONE LINES WHICH RAN NORTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT.  'HE WAS LEVEL AND CLIMBING, GOING AWAY FROM ME WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE SOUND (ENGINE SOUND) WENT QUIET, FOLLOWED BY A POP.  IT WAS NOT A LOUD POP.'  THE HELICOPTER BEGAN A SHALLOW DESCENT.  AT ABOUT 30 TO 40 FEET ABOVE THE FIELD,  THE HELICOPTER 'LEVELED OUT,' BUT 'KEPT COMING DOWN.'  THE WITNESS SAID HE SAW THE HELICOPTER 'HIT' AND THEN 'CARTWHEEL.'  EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER'S ENGINE REVEALED SCORING MARKS ON THE POWER-TAKEOFF CYLINDER (FRONT CYLINDER) PISTON, AND IMPACT MARKS IN THE HEAD.  SMALL METALLIC PARTICLES WERE EMBEDDED IN THE PISTON HEAD.  THE POWER-TAKEOFF CYLINDER WALL SHOWED SCUFF MARKS, AND THE CYLINDER HEAD SHOWED IMPACT MARKS. THE TWO POWER-TAKEOFF SPARK PLUGS SHOWED NO GAP AT THE ELECTRODES, AND IMPACT MARKS. NO OTHER ANOMALIES WERE REVEALED.

## 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 CHI98FA353](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98FA353), Sep 19, 1998: Barklage Revolution Mini 500 (N611AB), Cahokia, IL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A loss of engine power due to cold seizure of the power-takeoff cylinder. A factor contributing to the accident was the power lines.

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.