20080517834399A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Amtr EXEC-90 · Erie, CO · May 17, 2008

Date: May 17, 2008 · 12:45 local
Place: Erie, CO
Airport: Erie Municipal
Phase of flight: Aerial Taxi, Other Helicopter
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N6032C
NTSB investigation: NTSBDFW08CA147
Reported as: Amtr EXEC90
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,500 total50 in this make and model50 in the last 90 days

N6032CRegistration cancelled May 9, 2013 · Dowell Vaughn EXEC-90S/N VXH01 Airframe modelDowell Vaughn EXEC-90

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 reported that he hovered to the open field from the airport. Pilot stated he had landed on a dirt access road to investigate why the helicopter was not flying correctly. The aircraft was not shut down and the pilot got out to investigate, and the pilot got back in the aircraft to hover back to the airport. Aircraft was being hover taxied across a freshly plowed field with a tailwiind of approximately 3 to 5 KTS of tailwind. Pilot reported he could no longer maintain his hover altitude of 2-3 ft when a gust of wind hit the aircraft from the left rear. Aircrafts right skid settled into the dirt and the aircraft to rolled to the right, coming to rest on the aircrafts right side.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HOVERED TO THE OPEN FIELD FROM THE AIRPORT. PILOT STATED HE HAD LANDED ON A DIRT ACCESS ROAD TO INVESTIGATE WHY THE HELICOPTER WAS NOT FLYING CORRECTLY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT SHUT DOWN AND THE PILOT GOT OUT TO INVESTIGATE, AND THE PILOT GOT BACK IN THE AIRCRAFT TO HOVER BACK TO THE AIRPORT. AIRCRAFT WAS BEING HOVER TAXIED ACROSS A FRESHLY PLOWED FIELD WITH A TAILWIIND OF APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 5 KTS OF TAILWIND. PILOT REPORTED HE COULD NO LONGER MAINTAIN HIS HOVER ALTITUDE OF 2-3 FT WHEN A GUST OF WIND HIT THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE LEFT REAR. AIRCRAFTS RIGHT SKID SETTLED INTO THE DIRT AND THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLLED TO THE RIGHT, COMING TO REST ON THE AIRCRAFTS RIGHT SIDE.

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 DFW08CA147Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportLafayette, COThe pilot's improper in-flight decision to continue flight after experiencing a loss of rotor RPM. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's low level of experience in helicopters and the leaking oil from the engine oil filler cap.May 17, 2008 · Substantial damage