What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On 06/05/2009, at approximately 1210 EDT a, amateur built rotorway 162F helicopter was destroyed when it made a forced/hard landing in berlin, VT. The one person onboard was fatally injured. VMC prevailed and no flight plan was filled for the local flight that originated from the montpelier State airport (mpv). According to witnesses, the aircraft appeared to be landing at mpv. Statements from three witnesses corroborate a popping sound from the aircraft and then the aircraft nosing down until below the trees. Smoke was seen immediately following from two of the witnesses. A fourth witness was driving near the airport, reported she saw something fall from the sky ahead her between the hospital and wal-mart access road. Subsequent searches of the area, which were wooded, did not yield any items matching the witness's description. Post crash fire consumed the composite fuselage, interior, seats, instrument panel and aluminum tailboom was melted by intense heat. Debris was approximately 320 feet aft from the impact site. Impact site debris, was approx 50-60 feet forward and 30-40 feet to the right side. Impact forced the main rotor system in downward force, forcing the main rotor assembly down, destroying the flight control system, and swashplate assembly. Main rotor blades suffered fire damage and appeared to have very little impact site. Right tail blade was impacted into the ground. Tail rotor drive system is belt drive: trace pieces of the belt were visible in the tail gearbox area. Along the tail boom, there was evidence of tail rotor belt melted/burned in place. Engine drive belts were melted; there was some evidence of belt pieces on the engine drive system. Main rotor drive belt was compromised. There was no evidence of a melted/burned belt in place. Aircraft and pilot time in make/model are from the aircraft maintenance logbook.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON 06/05/2009, AT APPROXIMATELY 1210 EDT A, AMATEUR BUILT ROTORWAY 162F HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT MADE A FORCED/HARD LANDING IN BERLIN, VT. THE ONE PERSON ONBOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED. VMC PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILLED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE MONTPELIER STATE AIRPORT (MPV). ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE LANDING AT MPV. STATEMENTS FROM THREE WITNESSES CORROBORATE A POPPING SOUND FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT NOSING DOWN UNTIL BELOW THE TREES. SMOKE WAS SEEN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING FROM TWO OF THE WITNESSES. A FOURTH WITNESS WAS DRIVING NEAR THE AIRPORT, REPORTED SHE SAW SOMETHING FALL FROM THE SKY AHEAD HER BETWEEN THE HOSPITAL AND WAL-MART ACCESS ROAD. SUBSEQUENT SEARCHES OF THE AREA, WHICH WERE WOODED, DID NOT YIELD ANY ITEMS MATCHING THE WITNESS'S DESCRIPTION. POST CRASH FIRE CONSUMED THE COMPOSITE FUSELAGE, INTERIOR, SEATS, INSTRUMENT PANEL AND ALUMINUM TAILBOOM WAS MELTED BY INTENSE HEAT. DEBRIS WAS APPROXIMATELY 320 FEET AFT FROM THE IMPACT SITE. IMPACT SITE DEBRIS, WAS APPROX 50-60 FEET FORWARD AND 30-40 FEET TO THE RIGHT SIDE. IMPACT FORCED THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM IN DOWNWARD FORCE, FORCING THE MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY DOWN, DESTROYING THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM, AND SWASHPLATE ASSEMBLY. MAIN ROTOR BLADES SUFFERED FIRE DAMAGE AND APPEARED TO HAVE VERY LITTLE IMPACT SITE. RIGHT TAIL BLADE WAS IMPACTED INTO THE GROUND. TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SYSTEM IS BELT DRIVE: TRACE PIECES OF THE BELT WERE VISIBLE IN THE TAIL GEARBOX AREA. ALONG THE TAIL BOOM, THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF TAIL ROTOR BELT MELTED/BURNED IN PLACE. ENGINE DRIVE BELTS WERE MELTED; THERE WAS SOME EVIDENCE OF BELT PIECES ON THE ENGINE DRIVE SYSTEM. MAIN ROTOR DRIVE BELT WAS COMPROMISED. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A MELTED/BURNED BELT IN PLACE. AIRCRAFT AND PILOT TIME IN MAKE/MODEL ARE FROM THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOGBOOK.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.