What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.19) On October 4, 1998, at an unknown time, a burson mini 500, N418MB, crashed in hilly terrain near moorpark California. The aircraft was destroyed, and the private pilot, sole occupant, suffered fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the afternoon of the flight and no flight plan was filed, nor were any ATC services provided. The pilot's daughter reported that she accompanied the pilot to the takeoff/landing site and helped reinstall the main rotor blades, which had been removed to trailer the helicopter. She stated that her father reported that he would fly over the park where she was playing ball, and would subsequently fly over the family residence, in approximately 45 minutes. She left the site at 1417. The daughter further recalled that the pilot reported that he would be flying for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. She never saw or heard him fly over the park, and he was not seen over the family house. The pilot's wife reported the pilot as missing and an alnot was issued at 2040. The ventura county sheriff located the wreckage at 0300 on October 5, 1998. (4.)the helicopter did not return from an afternoon local area flight and the wreckage was located early the following morning. Both main rotor blades, the tail rotor assembly, the tail boom, and a section of the tail rotor drive shaft were found in a debris field approximately 1/8 mile from the fuselage wreckage. Both main rotor blades separated from the hub outboard of the root doubler and exhibited leading edge damage near the tip and downward bending. Additionally, the 'a' blade was bent smoothly aft approximately 30 degrees over its span. The tail boom was separated from the fuselage approximately 2 feet forward of the tail rotor gearbox. The separation exhibited a diagonal slicing appearance from upper forward to lower aft on the boom. The tail rotor drive shaft was separated at the same fuselage station as the tail boom, and the shaft had a dented appearance which resembled the leading edge radius of the main rotor blade. The main rotor mast exhibited a mast-bumping dent on one side of the mast at the hub attachment but no similar dent on the opposite side. Examination of the aircraft did not reveal any mechanical malfunction of the engine or flight control system.
As the FAA filed it
(.19) ON OCTOBER 4, 1998, AT AN UNKNOWN TIME, A BURSON MINI 500, N418MB, CRASHED IN HILLY TERRAIN NEAR MOORPARK CALIFORNIA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE PRIVATE PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT, SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE AFTERNOON OF THE FLIGHT AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED, NOR WERE ANY ATC SERVICES PROVIDED. THE PILOT'S DAUGHTER REPORTED THAT SHE ACCOMPANIED THE PILOT TO THE TAKEOFF/LANDING SITE AND HELPED REINSTALL THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES, WHICH HAD BEEN REMOVED TO TRAILER THE HELICOPTER. SHE STATED THAT HER FATHER REPORTED THAT HE WOULD FLY OVER THE PARK WHERE SHE WAS PLAYING BALL, AND WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY FLY OVER THE FAMILY RESIDENCE, IN APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES. SHE LEFT THE SITE AT 1417. THE DAUGHTER FURTHER RECALLED THAT THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WOULD BE FLYING FOR 1 1/2 TO 2 HOURS. SHE NEVER SAW OR HEARD HIM FLY OVER THE PARK, AND HE WAS NOT SEEN OVER THE FAMILY HOUSE. THE PILOT'S WIFE REPORTED THE PILOT AS MISSING AND AN ALNOT WAS ISSUED AT 2040. THE VENTURA COUNTY SHERIFF LOCATED THE WRECKAGE AT 0300 ON OCTOBER 5, 1998. (4.)THE HELICOPTER DID NOT RETURN FROM AN AFTERNOON LOCAL AREA FLIGHT AND THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED EARLY THE FOLLOWING MORNING. BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES, THE TAIL ROTOR ASSEMBLY, THE TAIL BOOM, AND A SECTION OF THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT WERE FOUND IN A DEBRIS FIELD APPROXIMATELY 1/8 MILE FROM THE FUSELAGE WRECKAGE. BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES SEPARATED FROM THE HUB OUTBOARD OF THE ROOT DOUBLER AND EXHIBITED LEADING EDGE DAMAGE NEAR THE TIP AND DOWNWARD BENDING. ADDITIONALLY, THE 'A' BLADE WAS BENT SMOOTHLY AFT APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES OVER ITS SPAN. THE TAIL BOOM WAS SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE APPROXIMATELY 2 FEET FORWARD OF THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX. THE SEPARATION EXHIBITED A DIAGONAL SLICING APPEARANCE FROM UPPER FORWARD TO LOWER AFT ON THE BOOM. THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT WAS SEPARATED AT THE SAME FUSELAGE STATION AS THE TAIL BOOM, AND THE SHAFT HAD A DENTED APPEARANCE WHICH RESEMBLED THE LEADING EDGE RADIUS OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE. THE MAIN ROTOR MAST EXHIBITED A MAST-BUMPING DENT ON ONE SIDE OF THE MAST AT THE HUB ATTACHMENT BUT NO SIMILAR DENT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OF THE ENGINE OR FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.