What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot initiated an approach to land at a paved area adjacent to hangers at the Henderson airport, the approach was on an approximate heading of one hundred twenty degrees with reported winds of one hundred degrees at six knots. The pilot stated that as the aircraft got to approximately thirty feet above the ground and an airspeed of approximately thirty knots, the pilot was unable to stop the aircraft from turining in a yaw to the right. The pilot stated that he attempted to fly forward to gain airspeed and stop the turning aircraft, but could not stop the aircraft from turning. The pilot stated that the aircraft contacted the ground in a level fashion, though still continued to turn to the right. The aircraft then rolled onto the right side and came to rest. The aircraft was removed from the scene by the owner and stored in a nearby hangar. An examination of the helicopter did not reveal any mechanical irregularities which would have been present prior to the crash. The damage to the aircraft appeared to be consistant with the sequence of events which the pilot described. All flight controls and rotor systems appeared to have been intact prior to the crash and the rotor system appeared to be under power at the time of the crash. There were three people aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash. The rear seat passenger was a young boy and not available for contact. The front seat passenger, who is a rated rotorcraft pilot, stated the same facts which the pilot stated, adding that he thought that there could have been some effect from wind coming off of the hangars which would have been to the east and upwind from where the crash sequence started. Report to be ammended.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT INITIATED AN APPROACH TO LAND AT A PAVED AREA ADJACENT TO HANGERS AT THE HENDERSON AIRPORT, THE APPROACH WAS ON AN APPROXIMATE HEADING OF ONE HUNDRED TWENTY DEGREES WITH REPORTED WINDS OF ONE HUNDRED DEGREES AT SIX KNOTS. THE PILOT STATED THAT AS THE AIRCRAFT GOT TO APPROXIMATELY THIRTY FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND AN AIRSPEED OF APPROXIMATELY THIRTY KNOTS, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT FROM TURINING IN A YAW TO THE RIGHT.THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO FLY FORWARD TO GAIN AIRSPEED AND STOP THE TURNING AIRCRAFT, BUT COULD NOT STOP THE AIRCRAFT FROM TURNING.THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL FASHION, THOUGH STILL CONTINUED TO TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ROLLED ONTO THE RIGHT SIDE AND CAME TO REST.THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE SCENE BY THE OWNER AND STORED IN A NEARBY HANGAR.AN EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL IRREGULARITIES WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN PRESENT PRIOR TO THE CRASH.THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE CONSISTANT WITH THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WHICH THE PILOT DESCRIBED.ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS AND ROTOR SYSTEMS APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN INTACT PRIOR TO THE CRASH AND THE ROTOR SYSTEM APPEARED TO BE UNDER POWER AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THERE WERE THREE PEOPLE ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THE REAR SEAT PASSENGER WAS A YOUNG BOY AND NOT AVAILABLE FOR CONTACT. THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER, WHO IS A RATED ROTORCRAFT PILOT, STATED THE SAME FACTS WHICH THE PILOT STATED, ADDING THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN SOME EFFECT FROM WIND COMING OFF OF THE HANGARS WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN TO THE EAST AND UPWIND FROM WHERE THE CRASH SEQUENCE STARTED.REPORT TO BE AMMENDED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.