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20180411000159I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Workhorse Group SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR · Cincinnati, OH · April 11, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 11, 2018 · 10:50 local
Place
Cincinnati, OH
Airport
Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N834LW
Reported as
Workhorse Group Surefly Manned Rotor
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
N834LWRegistered now · Workhorse Group SUREFLY MANNED ROTORS/N 00001 · Built 2017Airframe modelWorkhorse Group SUREFLY MANNED ROTOREngine modelEmrax 268Electric

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.

On April 11, 2018, at 1050 EDT, a (make) Workhorse group inc., (model) Surefly Manned Rotor, N834LW, registered to Workhorse group inc., suffered a roll over upon touchdown at Lunken airport, Cincinnati, Ohio, while performing a stability hover research and developement test. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft suffered only minor damage and the ATP rated occupant was uninjured.

The Surefly Manned Rotor is a proof of concept powered lift, evtol (electric vertical take off and landing) aircraft. It is operating under an experimental research and developement certificate. On April 11, 2018, the operator was conducting tethered stability tests in a non movement area with control inputs from a computer system. The ATP rated occupant was onboard as required by the operating limitations. The incident occured on the third test of the day when the aircraft started oscillating in pitch. During the oscillation the landing gear skid contacted the ground accelerating the oscillation and inducing a yaw in the aircraft. The aircraft pulled up hard on the tether causing the aircraft to roll slightly to the left before bouncing on the ground and rolling over to the right. The aircraft came to rest slightly over center on the right landing gear skid, suspended by the tether at about a 45 degree angle, which allowed all four righthand rotors to strike the ground and sustain damage. The landing gear skid was slightly bent in a downward angle by the tether. There was no other damage to the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

ON APRIL 11, 2018, AT 1050 EDT, A (MAKE) WORKHORSE GROUP INC., (MODEL) SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR, N834LW, REGISTERED TO WORKHORSE GROUP INC., SUFFERED A ROLL OVER UPON TOUCHDOWN AT LUNKEN AIRPORT, CINCINNATI, OHIO, WHILE PERFORMING A STABILITY HOVER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPEMENT TEST. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE AND THE ATP RATED OCCUPANT WAS UNINJURED.

THE SUREFLY MANNED ROTOR IS A PROOF OF CONCEPT POWERED LIFT, EVTOL (ELECTRIC VERTICAL TAKE OFF AND LANDING) AIRCRAFT. IT IS OPERATING UNDER AN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPEMENT CERTIFICATE. ON APRIL 11, 2018, THE OPERATOR WAS CONDUCTING TETHERED STABILITY TESTS IN A NON MOVEMENT AREA WITH CONTROL INPUTS FROM A COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE ATP RATED OCCUPANT WAS ONBOARD AS REQUIRED BY THE OPERATING LIMITATIONS. THE INCIDENT OCCURED ON THE THIRD TEST OF THE DAY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STARTED OSCILLATING IN PITCH. DURING THE OSCILLATION THE LANDING GEAR SKID CONTACTED THE GROUND ACCELERATING THE OSCILLATION AND INDUCING A YAW IN THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT PULLED UP HARD ON THE TETHER CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT BEFORE BOUNCING ON THE GROUND AND ROLLING OVER TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST SLIGHTLY OVER CENTER ON THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR SKID, SUSPENDED BY THE TETHER AT ABOUT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE, WHICH ALLOWED ALL FOUR RIGHTHAND ROTORS TO STRIKE THE GROUND AND SUSTAIN DAMAGE. THE LANDING GEAR SKID WAS SLIGHTLY BENT IN A DOWNWARD ANGLE BY THE TETHER. THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.