20030502008349I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Amtr SCORPION 133 · Lexington, NE · May 2, 2003

Date: May 2, 2003 · 17:30 local
Place: Lexington, NE
Airport: Jim Kelly Field Airport
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N16GW
Reported as: Amtr SCORPION133
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,680 total1 in the last 90 days

N16GWRegistered now · Webb Gene SCORPION 133S/N 3166 Airframe modelWebb Gene SCORPION 133 Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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.

(-23) On may 2, 2003, at 1730 CST on initial ground runs, the operator, jerry l. may was doing blade tracks on a scorpion 133 experimental helicopter. Mr. May stated he had no intent to fly on this ground run. But after Mr. May brought the rotor RPM up to 100%, the aircraft became airborne and he found himself hovering. He then began to have problems with lateral control. Mr. May stated he was going left to right with pilot induced oscillations. Mr. May said the ship was approximate 1 foot off the ground with the oscillations becoming greater with each input of the flight controls when the left skid hit the ground and folded under the belly, causing the aircraft to roll on its l/h side.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON MAY 2, 2003, AT 1730 CST ON INITIAL GROUND RUNS, THE OPERATOR, JERRY L. MAY WAS DOING BLADE TRACKS ON A SCORPION 133 EXPERIMENTAL HELICOPTER. MR. MAY STATED HE HAD NO INTENT TO FLY ON THIS GROUND RUN. BUT AFTER MR. MAY BROUGHT THE ROTOR RPM UP TO 100%, THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE AND HE FOUND HIMSELF HOVERING. HE THEN BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH LATERAL CONTROL. MR. MAY STATED HE WAS GOING LEFT TO RIGHT WITH PILOT INDUCED OSCILLATIONS. MR. MAY SAID THE SHIP WAS APPROXIMATE 1 FOOT OFF THE GROUND WITH THE OSCILLATIONS BECOMING GREATER WITH EACH INPUT OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WHEN THE LEFT SKID HIT THE GROUND AND FOLDED UNDER THE BELLY, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL ON ITS L/H SIDE.