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20040721014669A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Amtr EXEC162F · Cameron Park, CA · July 21, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 21, 2004 · 15:46 local
Place
Cameron Park, CA
Airport
Cameron Airpark Airport
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N103RW
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX04LA274
Reported as
Amtr EXEC162F
Fatal injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
114 total114 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N103RWRegistration cancelled Nov 29, 2004 · Finke William ROTORWAY EXEC 162FS/N 6235 · Built 2001Airframe modelFinke William ROTORWAY EXEC 162FEngine 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) Pilot departed Q61 heading south. Started to turn southeast when a loud "bang" noise was heard and then the engine backfired. Debris was reported falling to the ground. The rotorcraft inverted and crashed into a house and was engulfed in flames. The pilot was killed instantly. The last 3 feet of the tail boom including the tail rotor was found approximately 80 ft south of crash site. A 5-FT section of tail boom was found 270 ft se of crash site. This section had a 4 foot mark white paint mark depression in the skin. This depression mark was at a 45-degree angle to the boom (approximate area of the horizontal stabilizer). The main rotor blades were attached, but one of the blades was broken at the rotor hub. The retaining bolt for this blade was pulled out of the rotor straps approximately 1 inch. The bolt did not have a self-locking nut holding it in place. The threads on the bolt were not stripped or sheared. If the main rotor blades were allowed any additional aft tilt, they would have struck the tail boom in the approximate area of the white paint mark.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT DEPARTED Q61 HEADING SOUTH. STARTED TO TURN SOUTHEAST WHEN A LOUD "BANG" NOISE WAS HEARD AND THEN THE ENGINE BACKFIRED. DEBRIS WAS REPORTED FALLING TO THE GROUND. THE ROTORCRAFT INVERTED AND CRASHED INTO A HOUSE AND WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE PILOT WAS KILLED INSTANTLY. THE LAST 3 FEET OF THE TAIL BOOM INCLUDING THE TAIL ROTOR WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 80 FT SOUTH OF CRASH SITE. A 5-FT SECTION OF TAIL BOOM WAS FOUND 270 FT SE OF CRASH SITE. THIS SECTION HAD A 4 FOOT MARK WHITE PAINT MARK DEPRESSION IN THE SKIN. THIS DEPRESSION MARK WAS AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE TO THE BOOM (APPROXIMATE AREA OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER). THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE ATTACHED, BUT ONE OF THE BLADES WAS BROKEN AT THE ROTOR HUB. THE RETAINING BOLT FOR THIS BLADE WAS PULLED OUT OF THE ROTOR STRAPS APPROXIMATELY 1 INCH. THE BOLT DID NOT HAVE A SELF-LOCKING NUT HOLDING IT IN PLACE. THE THREADS ON THE BOLT WERE NOT STRIPPED OR SHEARED. IF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE ALLOWED ANY ADDITIONAL AFT TILT, THEY WOULD HAVE STRUCK THE TAIL BOOM IN THE APPROXIMATE AREA OF THE WHITE PAINT MARK.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX04LA274Accident · 1 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportCameron Park, CAThe owner-builder's improper main rotor blade (MRB) maintenance/installation by under torquing the blade retaining nut.Jul 21, 2004 · Destroyed