# Accident 20150131002929A: Butler Raymond ROTORWAY EXEC 162F, Sea Drift, TX, January 31, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 31, 2015, 14:45 local time
- Place: Sea Drift, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.5217° N, 96.7983° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.5217&lon=-96.7983&mi=10
- Aircraft: N162RB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N162RB-2019-09-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Butler Raymond ROTORWAY EXEC 162F (registry code 05621ZX, https://openairdocs.org/model/butler-raymond-rotorway-exec-162f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotorway RI-162F (registry code 55007, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotorway-ri-162f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BUTLER RAYMOND ROTORWAY EXEC 162F
- Reported engine: JACOBS R-755B2 R-755B2
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN15LA132](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA132) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150131002929A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN15LA132](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA132), Jan 31, 2015: Butler Raymond Rotorway Exec 162F (N162RB), Seadrift, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: A 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…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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