# Accident 20160826008171A: Mearns Robert C ROTORWAY EXEC, Iron Station, NC, August 26, 2016 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 26, 2016, 14:50 local time - Place: Iron Station, NC - Damage: Substantial damage - Collision: Collision on the ground - Phase of flight: Hover/Holding - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.4833° N, 81.1611° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.4833&lon=-81.1611&mi=10 - Aircraft: N48KM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N48KM-2020-02-03) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Mearns Robert C ROTORWAY EXEC (registry code 13017GP, https://openairdocs.org/model/mearns-robert-c-rotorway-exec) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MEARNS ROBERT C ROTORWAY EXEC - Reported engine: AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 1 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA16LA301](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16LA301) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160826008171A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON AUGUST 26, 2016, ABOUT 1450 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR-BUILT ROTORWAY EXEC HELICOPTER, N48KM, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE IN HOVERING FLIGHT AT LINCOLNTON-LINCOLN COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT (IPJ), IRON STATION, NORTH CAROLINA. THE PRIVATE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT WHICH WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO CONFIRM THE DYNAMIC TRACK AND BALANCE CONDITION OF THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM FOLLOWING THE REPLACEMENT OF ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS IN THE MAIN ROTOR HUB. FOUR GROUND AND HOVER TESTS HAD BEEN PERFORMED PREVIOUS TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE AT A HOVER, THE HELICOPTER PITCHED UP, TO THE LEFT, AND BEGAN TRANSITIONING REARWARD. HE CORRECTED WITH A FULL, RIGHT-FORWARD CYCLIC INPUT, YET THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED TO TRANSITION TO ITS REAR UNTIL IT STRUCK A HANGAR. THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED INSIDE THE OPEN HANGAR, COLLIDED WITH AN AIRPLANE, N69FM, AND CAME TO REST ON ITS LEFT SIDE. THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE COCKPIT, FUSELAGE, AND TAILBOOM. PRIOR TO THE FLIGHTS, THE HELICOPTER WAS CONFIGURED WITH A BALLAST WEIGHT LOCATED ON THE RIGHT SKID AS PRESCRIBED IN THE PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK (POH) FOR SOLO OPERATION. FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, THE FORWARD SECTION OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR SKID TUBE, WITH COUNTERWEIGHT BALLAST ATTACHED, WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE POSITIONS OF THE HELICOPTER WHERE IT HOVERED FOR THE TEST, AND WHERE IT CAME TO REST. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER CONFIRMED CYCLIC AND COLLECTIVE CONTROL CONTINUITY. ADDITIONALLY, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER HAD OPERATED "FLAWLESSLY" UP UNTIL THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE HELICOPTER'S MOST RECENT CONDITION INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED ON JULY 22, 2016, AT 254 TOTAL AIRCRAFT HOURS. THE PILOT HELD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH RATINGS FOR AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND AND ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER. HIS MOST RECENT FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED ON MARCH 14, 2016. HE REPORTED 600 TOTAL HOURS OF FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, OF WHICH 500 WERE IN THE ACCIDENT HELICOPTER MAKE AND MODEL. ## 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 ERA16LA301](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16LA301), Aug 26, 2016: Means Rober C Rotorway Exec (N48KM), Iron Station, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from the ground while hovering, which resulted in separation of the forward section of the right skid tube with counterweight attached, a sudden… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.