20120309002869I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Eagle Research & Devlpmnt Helicycle · Brigham City, UT · March 9, 2012

Date: March 9, 2012 · 11:45 local
Place: Brigham City, UT
Airport: Brigham City
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N302BA
Reported as: Eagle Research & Devlpmnt Helicycle
Reported engine: SOLAR T62-T32
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 48 total3 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days

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.

On approach at 75 ft & 45 mph, engine quit. Lowered collective, accelerated to 65 mph and power-off autorotated to a firm landing. Right skid collapsed as the rotor stopped. No other damage to aircraft, no injuries to solo pilot. It is surmised that the pilot's headset battery pack hit the engine kill-switch, that did not have its' kill-switch guard in the guarded position. Engine started and ran normally as observed by FAA iic.

As the FAA filed it

ON APPROACH AT 75 FT & 45 MPH, ENGINE QUIT. LOWERED COLLECTIVE, ACCELERATED TO 65 MPH AND POWER-OFF AUTOROTATED TO A FIRM LANDING. RIGHT SKID COLLAPSED AS THE ROTOR STOPPED. NO OTHER DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT, NO INJURIES TO SOLO PILOT. IT IS SURMISED THAT THE PILOT'S HEADSET BATTERY PACK HIT THE ENGINE KILL-SWITCH, THAT DID NOT HAVE ITS' KILL-SWITCH GUARD IN THE GUARDED POSITION. ENGINE STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY AS OBSERVED BY FAA IIC.