# Accident 20170802011129A: Sikorsky S-97A, Jupiter, FL, August 2, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 2, 2017, 07:20 local time
- Place: Jupiter, FL
- Airport: Gwinn
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 26.9081° N, 80.3283° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.9081&lon=-80.3283&mi=10
- Aircraft: N971SK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N971SK-2021-03-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Sikorsky S-97A (registry code 8141848, https://openairdocs.org/model/sikorsky-s-97a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SIKORSKY S-97A
- Reported engine: GENERAL ELECTRIC YT706-GE-700R
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 6,679 total, 19 in this make and model, 32 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA17LA263](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA263) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170802011129A

## Narrative

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

ON AUGUST 2, 2017, AT 0720 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A SIKORSKY S-97, N971SK, EXPERIENCED A FLIGHT CONTROL

ANOMALY WHILE LIFTING TO A HOVER RESULTING IN EXCESSIVE ROLL OSCILLATIONS LEADING TO INTERMESHING OF THE

COUNTER-ROTATING ROTOR SYSTEM RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING. THE TWO AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOTS WERE NOT

INJURED, AND THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ROTOR SYSTEM. THE HELICOPTER WAS

REGISTERED TO SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT COMPANY IN THE EXPERIMENTAL CATEGORY, AND WAS OPERATED UNDER THE

PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE

FLIGHT, AND A COMPANY FLIGHT PLAN WAS ACTIVE. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE WILLIAM P GWINN AIRPORT, JUPITER,

FLORIDA.

## 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 ERA17LA263](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA263), Aug 2, 2017: Sikorsky S-97A (N971SK), Jupiter, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: A design change in the helicopter's fly-by-wire control system that resulted in an increase in the sensitivity of the cyclic stick while transitioning from ground to flight mode, magnifying the…

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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