20150131002929A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Butler Raymond ROTORWAY EXEC 162F · Sea Drift, TX · January 31, 2015

Date: January 31, 2015 · 14:45 local
Place: Sea Drift, TX
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N162RB
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN15LA132
Reported as: Butler Raymond Rotorway Exec 162F
Reported engine: Jacobs R-755b2 R-755B2
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0

N162RBRegistration cancelled Sep 6, 2019 · Butler Raymond ROTORWAY EXEC 162FS/N 6873 · Built 2008 Airframe modelButler Raymond ROTORWAY EXEC 162F Engine modelRotorway RI-162F4 cycle

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.

Pilot stated he was returning home, flying at about 300 feet altitude, in VFR conditions, when he heard the low rotor RPM horn start blaring, felt the helicopter yaw and realized that he had lost engine power. Pilot entered an auto rotation and picked a landing spot on an old roadway in a pasture adjacent to highway. He arrested the rate of descent but still too much forward speed to set down. Altered course to some heavy grass, and lost main rotor RPM about 8 feet above the ground, still moving forward at a fast rate. The helicopter settled hard substantially damaging the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED HE WAS RETURNING HOME, FLYING AT ABOUT 300 FEET ALTITUDE, IN VFR CONDITIONS, WHEN HE HEARD THE LOW ROTOR RPM HORN START BLARING, FELT THE HELICOPTER YAW AND REALIZED THAT HE HAD LOST ENGINE POWER. PILOT ENTERED AN AUTO ROTATION AND PICKED A LANDING SPOT ON AN OLD ROADWAY IN A PASTURE ADJACENT TO HIGHWAY. HE ARRESTED THE RATE OF DESCENT BUT STILL TOO MUCH FORWARD SPEED TO SET DOWN. ALTERED COURSE TO SOME HEAVY GRASS, AND LOST MAIN ROTOR RPM ABOUT 8 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, STILL MOVING FORWARD AT A FAST RATE. THE HELICOPTER SETTLED HARD SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGING THE AIRCRAFT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN15LA132Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSeadrift, TXA fault in the No. 1 engine control module, which disabled the ignition system and resulted in the engine losing power; during the subsequent autorotation, the main rotor rpm was further reduced just before touchdown, which resulted in a hard landing.Jan 31, 2015 · Substantial damage