What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) This investigation found the helicopter was destroyed during a loss of control and vertical (nose down) collision with terrain. The pilot was fatally injured and a post-crash fire destroyed the helicopter and an adjacent recreational building. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan had been filed. A witness, who was an acquaintance of the pilot, reported the pilot landed his helicopter at the construction site of a nearly completed wood structure he was having built on a bluff overlooking puget sound. He walked down from the bluff and spoke with an acquaintance briefly and then returned to the helicopter. Shortly thereafter witnesses heard a loud crack and observed smoke and fire on the bluff.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THIS INVESTIGATION FOUND THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED DURING A LOSS OF CONTROL AND VERTICAL (NOSE DOWN) COLLISION WITH TERRAIN. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED AND A POST-CRASH FIRE DESTROYED THE HELICOPTER AND AN ADJACENT RECREATIONAL BUILDING. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. A WITNESS, WHO WAS AN ACQUAINTANCE OF THE PILOT, REPORTED THE PILOT LANDED HIS HELICOPTER AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF A NEARLY COMPLETED WOOD STRUCTURE HE WAS HAVING BUILT ON A BLUFF OVERLOOKING PUGET SOUND. HE WALKED DOWN FROM THE BLUFF AND SPOKE WITH AN ACQUAINTANCE BRIEFLY AND THEN RETURNED TO THE HELICOPTER. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WITNESSES HEARD A LOUD CRACK AND OBSERVED SMOKE AND FIRE ON THE BLUFF.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.