What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
While conducting a personal flight around the arcola/sugarland Texas area, the pilot experienced a ?spike in RPM and the rotor remained at a maximum rppm. The pilot reduced the throttle in level flight in an attempt to reduce rotor RPM. This action was not successful. The pilot selected an emergency landing site, landing down wind. This was followed by an emergency landing with an auto rotation into an empty lot in a new residential neighborhood. During the autorotation manuever, the aircraft was destroyed upon impacting the ground. The pilot was up and walking when EMS personnel arrived, then complained of back pain and was transported to a medical center in sugarland Texas.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage and may be destroyed. The aircraft came to rest on the left side, the canopy glass was broken and interior items were scattered around near the front of the fuselage. The dash panel was bent sideways toward the left side of the cockpit and was otherwise intact. The ignition switch was in the "off" poistion. One of the pilot seats was dislodged and laying in front of the fuselage. The aircraft documents to include registration certificate, airworthiness certificate and aircraft POH were still inside the cockpit. The tail boom was cut into three pieces, and bent around the right side of the fuselage. A short two foot section to the tail boom was lying to rear of the fuselage and another near the right of the fuselage. The outer three feet of the tail boom to include the tail rotor was approximately 150 feet from the fuselage. The tail rotor blades were bent with small radius bends near the rotor head and cuts into the blade leading edge of the blades near the ends. The left main landing skid mounts were dislodged from thier mounts. The rear was pushed up into the engine compartment, the front toeard the side of the fuselage. One of the two main rotor blades was bent midway and there were cut marks in the ground near the impact site, the other main rotor blade had a large radius bend but did not appear to have a large amount of dirt or grass on it. The main rotor mast did not appear to be bent.
As the FAA filed it
WHILE CONDUCTING A PERSONAL FLIGHT AROUND THE ARCOLA/SUGARLAND TEXAS AREA, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A ?SPIKE IN RPM AND THE ROTOR REMAINED AT A MAXIMUM RPPM. THE PILOT REDUCED THE THROTTLE IN LEVEL FLIGHT IN AN ATTEMPT TO REDUCE ROTOR RPM. THIS ACTION WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. THE PILOT SELECTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING SITE, LANDING DOWN WIND. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY AN EMERGENCY LANDING WITH AN AUTO ROTATION INTO AN EMPTY LOT IN A NEW RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. DURING THE AUTOROTATION MANUEVER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED UPON IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE PILOT WAS UP AND WALKING WHEN EMS PERSONNEL ARRIVED, THEN COMPLAINED OF BACK PAIN AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO A MEDICAL CENTER IN SUGARLAND TEXAS.
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND MAY BE DESTROYED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE LEFT SIDE, THE CANOPY GLASS WAS BROKEN AND INTERIOR ITEMS WERE SCATTERED AROUND NEAR THE FRONT OF THE FUSELAGE. THE DASH PANEL WAS BENT SIDEWAYS TOWARD THE LEFT SIDE OF THE COCKPIT AND WAS OTHERWISE INTACT. THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS IN THE "OFF" POISTION. ONE OF THE PILOT SEATS WAS DISLODGED AND LAYING IN FRONT OF THE FUSELAGE. THE AIRCRAFT DOCUMENTS TO INCLUDE REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE, AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE AND AIRCRAFT POH WERE STILL INSIDE THE COCKPIT. THE TAIL BOOM WAS CUT INTO THREE PIECES, AND BENT AROUND THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. A SHORT TWO FOOT SECTION TO THE TAIL BOOM WAS LYING TO REAR OF THE FUSELAGE AND ANOTHER NEAR THE RIGHT OF THE FUSELAGE. THE OUTER THREE FEET OF THE TAIL BOOM TO INCLUDE THE TAIL ROTOR WAS APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET FROM THE FUSELAGE. THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES WERE BENT WITH SMALL RADIUS BENDS NEAR THE ROTOR HEAD AND CUTS INTO THE BLADE LEADING EDGE OF THE BLADES NEAR THE ENDS. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING SKID MOUNTS WERE DISLODGED FROM THIER MOUNTS. THE REAR WAS PUSHED UP INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THE FRONT TOEARD THE SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. ONE OF THE TWO MAIN ROTOR BLADES WAS BENT MIDWAY AND THERE WERE CUT MARKS IN THE GROUND NEAR THE IMPACT SITE, THE OTHER MAIN ROTOR BLADE HAD A LARGE RADIUS BEND BUT DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF DIRT OR GRASS ON IT. THE MAIN ROTOR MAST DID NOT APPEAR TO BE BENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.