20050903027209A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Amtr MINI 500 · Ida Township, MI · September 3, 2005

Date: September 3, 2005 · 13:06 local
Place: Ida Township, MI
Phase of flight: Pwr Off Vert Land/Autorotate
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N20925
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI05CA267
Reported as: Amtr MINI500
Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX582
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 175 total55 in this make and model6 in the last 90 days

N20925Registration cancelled Jun 22, 2011 · West Kenneth Gary MINI 500S/N 0176 Airframe modelWest Kenneth Gary MINI 500

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 was in cruise flight at about 1750 ft when he experienced a loss of rotor speed and increased engine RPM. He auto rotated the aircraft and had a hard landing in a cornfield. There is a hole in the boom, the rightt strut is bent, the left strut is slightly curved, and the rotor blade tips are damaged. Investigation revealed that the engine tachometer is indicating higher than the engine rotating. Due to this faulty indication the pilot made a forced landing.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT ABOUT 1750 FT WHEN HE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ROTOR SPEED AND INCREASED ENGINE RPM. HE AUTO ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT AND HAD A HARD LANDING IN A CORNFIELD. THERE IS A HOLE IN THE BOOM, THE RIGHTT STRUT IS BENT, THE LEFT STRUT IS SLIGHTLY CURVED, AND THE ROTOR BLADE TIPS ARE DAMAGED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE TACHOMETER IS INDICATING HIGHER THAN THE ENGINE ROTATING. DUE TO THIS FAULTY INDICATION THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING.

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 CHI05CA267Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportIda, MIThe pilot's abrupt (improper) control action which resulted in the main rotor contacting the tail boom. Contributing factors were the false indication provided by the engine tachometer, the pilot's decision to immediately initiate an autorotation instead of…Sep 3, 2005 · Substantial damage