What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
June 21, 2014 at approximately 10:00 a.m. local time, an experimental amateur built rotorway exec 162-F helicopter, serial number 6460, suffered substantial damage following an emergency landing attempt in a field in mccordsville, Indiana; just north of the indianapolis regional airport. The united states registered ?n? Number is N6828D.
A witness observed the aircraft as it was crossing county road 500 north in mccordsville, Indiana, headed in a north direction and in a shallow decent. This witness expressed hearing what he described as a "bad motorcycle engine throttling up and down." There were no witnesses to the aircraft impacting the ground.
The pilot operating the aircraft heard a loud bang at approximately 300 ft altitude with an immediate loss of power. The pilot attempted an auto rotation landing in a bean field just north of his departure location. After touching down, the aircraft slid forward approximately 11 feet, at which point the forward tips of the skids stuck in the wet soil and the aircraft pitched forward onto its nose. This resulted in the rotor blade striking the ground, which threw the aircraft to the left and onto its left side. The aircraft was headed in a north/northwest direction when the landing was attempted and came to rest facing a direction of approximately 070 degrees. The pilot did not report irregularities with the aircraft prior to hearing the loud bang and experiencing the loss of power.
The aircraft is registered to the pilot who was operating the aircraft under the provisions of title 14 of the code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for this flight. The weather reported at mqj (greenfield, Indiana) at 10:40 local time: wind 010 degrees @ 5 KTS, temperature 23 degrees c, altimeter 30.01, visibility 10 miles.
As the FAA filed it
JUNE 21, 2014 AT APPROXIMATELY 10:00 A.M. LOCAL TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT ROTORWAY EXEC 162-F HELICOPTER, SERIAL NUMBER 6460, SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FOLLOWING AN EMERGENCY LANDING ATTEMPT IN A FIELD IN MCCORDSVILLE, INDIANA; JUST NORTH OF THE INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL AIRPORT. THE UNITED STATES REGISTERED ?N? NUMBER IS N6828D.
A WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT AS IT WAS CROSSING COUNTY ROAD 500 NORTH IN MCCORDSVILLE, INDIANA, HEADED IN A NORTH DIRECTION AND IN A SHALLOW DECENT. THIS WITNESS EXPRESSED HEARING WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS A "BAD MOTORCYCLE ENGINE THROTTLING UP AND DOWN." THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTING THE GROUND.
THE PILOT OPERATING THE AIRCRAFT HEARD A LOUD BANG AT APPROXIMATELY 300 FT ALTITUDE WITH AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED AN AUTO ROTATION LANDING IN A BEAN FIELD JUST NORTH OF HIS DEPARTURE LOCATION. AFTER TOUCHING DOWN, THE AIRCRAFT SLID FORWARD APPROXIMATELY 11 FEET, AT WHICH POINT THE FORWARD TIPS OF THE SKIDS STUCK IN THE WET SOIL AND THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED FORWARD ONTO ITS NOSE. THIS RESULTED IN THE ROTOR BLADE STRIKING THE GROUND, WHICH THREW THE AIRCRAFT TO THE LEFT AND ONTO ITS LEFT SIDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADED IN A NORTH/NORTHWEST DIRECTION WHEN THE LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED AND CAME TO REST FACING A DIRECTION OF APPROXIMATELY 070 DEGREES. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT IRREGULARITIES WITH THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO HEARING THE LOUD BANG AND EXPERIENCING THE LOSS OF POWER.
THE AIRCRAFT IS REGISTERED TO THE PILOT WHO WAS OPERATING THE AIRCRAFT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 OF THE CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91. DAY VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THIS FLIGHT. THE WEATHER REPORTED AT MQJ (GREENFIELD, INDIANA) AT 10:40 LOCAL TIME: WIND 010 DEGREES @ 5 KTS, TEMPERATURE 23 DEGREES C, ALTIMETER 30.01, VISIBILITY 10 MILES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.