What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
09/10/2020 - Received call from regional operations center (1614 EST) stating an anonymous caller contacted the osceola county sheriff's office they smelled gasoline coming from a helicopter that was rolled over on it's side in a nearby private helipad. The caller stated the helicopter rolled over on it's side earlier in the day, about 1030AM and there were no injuries or damage to property. The pilot owned the land which included a cement helipad, a mobile home park and extended empty property.
09/11/2020 - Site visit at aircraft privacy data omitted/operator's hangar where the aircraft fuselage was transported. The privacy data omitted/operator stated he was not able to fit the tailboom on the trailer, so he would have to make a second trip to the scene to removed the tailboom. The right skid/crosstube was damaged during shipping transport, not during the accident. The pilot-privacy data omitted/operator stated he was light on the skids and felt a pull down weight on the right side. In a verbal statement to me he said he moved the cyclic fwd/left when he was light on the skids and experience heavy right pull, but in his written statement he said he moved the cyclic fwd/right. I gave the pilot the pbr brochure and noted the investigation of accident involving acft N57AN on 09/10/20 with wasim niazi as pilot. Noticed mast bumping marks on the fwd and aft side of the mast. The pictures from the accident scene were provided to me by the pilot/owner. The pictures reflected both main rotor blades coned up in a v, (no curling down tips) and the tailboom damage one-third of the way aft - this is an indication of full collective and dynamic rollover. I did not note anything mechanically wrong with the aircraft and the pilot who is also the mechanic stated there is nothing mechanically wrong with the aircraft. Neither the pilot or his right seat passenger were injured. The pilot stated he also thought his passenger may have bumped the cyclic with his leg.
Both pilot and passenger stated everything happed very fast, the helicopter was light on skids for takeoff and then suddenly rolled over to the right. The helicopter was set to take off from a concrete slab where it had landed without any issues.
As the FAA filed it
09/10/2020 - RECEIVED CALL FROM REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER (1614 EST) STATING AN ANONYMOUS CALLER CONTACTED THE OSCEOLA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE THEY SMELLED GASOLINE COMING FROM A HELICOPTER THAT WAS ROLLED OVER ON IT'S SIDE IN A NEARBY PRIVATE HELIPAD. THE CALLER STATED THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER ON IT'S SIDE EARLIER IN THE DAY, ABOUT 1030AM AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. THE PILOT OWNED THE LAND WHICH INCLUDED A CEMENT HELIPAD, A MOBILE HOME PARK AND EXTENDED EMPTY PROPERTY.
09/11/2020 - SITE VISIT AT AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^/OPERATOR'S HANGAR WHERE THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE WAS TRANSPORTED. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^/OPERATOR STATED HE WAS NOT ABLE TO FIT THE TAILBOOM ON THE TRAILER, SO HE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A SECOND TRIP TO THE SCENE TO REMOVED THE TAILBOOM. THE RIGHT SKID/CROSSTUBE WAS DAMAGED DURING SHIPPING TRANSPORT, NOT DURING THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT-^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^/OPERATOR STATED HE WAS LIGHT ON THE SKIDS AND FELT A PULL DOWN WEIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE. IN A VERBAL STATEMENT TO ME HE SAID HE MOVED THE CYCLIC FWD/LEFT WHEN HE WAS LIGHT ON THE SKIDS AND EXPERIENCE HEAVY RIGHT PULL, BUT IN HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT HE SAID HE MOVED THE CYCLIC FWD/RIGHT. I GAVE THE PILOT THE PBR BROCHURE AND NOTED THE INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENT INVOLVING ACFT N57AN ON 09/10/20 WITH WASIM NIAZI AS PILOT. NOTICED MAST BUMPING MARKS ON THE FWD AND AFT SIDE OF THE MAST. THE PICTURES FROM THE ACCIDENT SCENE WERE PROVIDED TO ME BY THE PILOT/OWNER. THE PICTURES REFLECTED BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONED UP IN A V, (NO CURLING DOWN TIPS) AND THE TAILBOOM DAMAGE ONE-THIRD OF THE WAY AFT - THIS IS AN INDICATION OF FULL COLLECTIVE AND DYNAMIC ROLLOVER. I DID NOT NOTE ANYTHING MECHANICALLY WRONG WITH THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PILOT WHO IS ALSO THE MECHANIC STATED THERE IS NOTHING MECHANICALLY WRONG WITH THE AIRCRAFT. NEITHER THE PILOT OR HIS RIGHT SEAT PASSENGER WERE INJURED. THE PILOT STATED HE ALSO THOUGHT HIS PASSENGER MAY HAVE BUMPED THE CYCLIC WITH HIS LEG.
BOTH PILOT AND PASSENGER STATED EVERYTHING HAPPED VERY FAST, THE HELICOPTER WAS LIGHT ON SKIDS FOR TAKEOFF AND THEN SUDDENLY ROLLED OVER TO THE RIGHT. THE HELICOPTER WAS SET TO TAKE OFF FROM A CONCRETE SLAB WHERE IT HAD LANDED WITHOUT ANY ISSUES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.