What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft was intiating a cruise climb climbing through 300 feet heading in a westerley direction at 50KTS when a loud bang accompanied by a vibration with a sudden loss of altitude. The pilot also stated that the bang and vibration continued until impact with the tree. The aircraft rolled slightly right and then rolled left. The pilot placed the collective full down and intiated a 180 autorotation to the left in atttempt to land in a field that was almost abeam of his position to the left back. 180 degrees in oppposite direction of travel the pilot leveled the aircraft and impacted a large tree at approxiametly 20 feet. The rotor blades and paddles absorbed impact and cut 6 inch branches cleanly off. A large piece of the helicopters windscreen broke off and settled in the upper branchs of the tree approximately 15 feet above the ground. A scatter pattern of broken pieces of tree branches and parts of the helicopters rotor blades where thrown approximately 200 feet in direction of travel and impact of helicopter. A piece of the blades leading edge inertia weight pack (approx 4 ft in length) was thrown over a building approx. 400 ft landing on a parked car. The aircraft settled at the foot of the tree on its right side. The pilot pulled the passenger seated on the right side to safety. There was no post crash fire or fluid leakage. Both pilot and passenger where both brought to the local hospital and later released.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT WAS INTIATING A CRUISE CLIMB CLIMBING THROUGH 300 FEET HEADING IN A WESTERLEY DIRECTION AT 50KTS WHEN A LOUD BANG ACCOMPANIED BY A VIBRATION WITH A SUDDEN LOSS OF ALTITUDE. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT THE BANG AND VIBRATION CONTINUED UNTIL IMPACT WITH THE TREE. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED SLIGHTLY RIGHT AND THEN ROLLED LEFT. THE PILOT PLACED THE COLLECTIVE FULL DOWN AND INTIATED A 180 AUTOROTATION TO THE LEFT IN ATTTEMPT TO LAND IN A FIELD THAT WAS ALMOST ABEAM OF HIS POSITION TO THE LEFT BACK. 180 DEGREES IN OPPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL THE PILOT LEVELED THE AIRCRAFT AND IMPACTED A LARGE TREE AT APPROXIAMETLY 20 FEET. THE ROTOR BLADES AND PADDLES ABSORBED IMPACT AND CUT 6 INCH BRANCHES CLEANLY OFF. A LARGE PIECE OF THE HELICOPTERS WINDSCREEN BROKE OFF AND SETTLED IN THE UPPER BRANCHS OF THE TREE APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. A SCATTER PATTERN OF BROKEN PIECES OF TREE BRANCHES AND PARTS OF THE HELICOPTERS ROTOR BLADES WHERE THROWN APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET IN DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AND IMPACT OF HELICOPTER. A PIECE OF THE BLADES LEADING EDGE INERTIA WEIGHT PACK (APPROX 4 FT IN LENGTH) WAS THROWN OVER A BUILDING APPROX. 400 FT LANDING ON A PARKED CAR. THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED AT THE FOOT OF THE TREE ON ITS RIGHT SIDE. THE PILOT PULLED THE PASSENGER SEATED ON THE RIGHT SIDE TO SAFETY. THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE OR FLUID LEAKAGE. BOTH PILOT AND PASSENGER WHERE BOTH BROUGHT TO THE LOCAL HOSPITAL AND LATER RELEASED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.