# Accident 20040515009439A: Amtr ROTORWAYEXEC, Willis, TX, May 15, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 15, 2004, 16:22 local time
- Place: Willis, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Vertical (Helicopter Only)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.3519° N, 95.4144° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3519&lon=-95.4144&mi=10
- Aircraft: N319RC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N319RC-2013-06-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cooke Ronald W ROTORWAY EXEC (registry code 13017DT, https://openairdocs.org/model/cooke-ronald-w-rotorway-exec) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotorway RW152 (registry code 55006, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotorway-rw152) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR ROTORWAYEXEC
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,200 total, 175 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW04LA131](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW04LA131) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040515009439A

## Narrative

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

(-23) HELICOPTER LIFTED OFF OF WOODEN DOCK APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET AND STARTED TO DEPART WHEN A RATCHETING SOUND WAS HEARD BY THE PILOT AND THE HELICOPTER STARTED TO DESCEND. PILOT STATED THE COLLECTIVE DID NOT STOP THE DESCENT IN TIME TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE DOCK. THE RIGHT SKID TOUCHED DOWN ON THE DOCK AND THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED INTO THE BOAT SLIP BESIDE THE DOCK. MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BOAT SLIP AND HELICOPTER CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN APPROXIMATELY FOUR FEET OF WATER. THE PILOT WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE HELICOPTER.

## 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 FTW04LA131](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW04LA131), May 15, 2004: Cooke Rotorway Exec (N319RC), Willis, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The partial loss of engine power due to the failure of the #1 cylinder valve retainer clip. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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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