# Accident 20231001018049A: Stephen D Phillabaum HELICYCLE, Deer Park, WA, October 1, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 1, 2023, 13:30 local time
- Place: Deer Park, WA
- Airport: Radial Flyer
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.8945° N, 117.4398° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.8945&lon=-117.4398&mi=10
- Aircraft: N519SP, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N519SP) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Stephen D Phillabaum HELICYCLE (registry code 05635VH, https://openairdocs.org/model/stephen-d-phillabaum-helicycle) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Solar T62T-32 (registry code 58102, https://openairdocs.org/engine/solar-t62t-32) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: STEPHEN D PHILLABAUM HELICYCLE
- Reported engine: SOLAR T62T-32
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,500 total, 44 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR24LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA009) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231001018049A

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD NOT FLOWN HIS HELICOPTER IN A WHILE AND DECIDED HE WOULD HOVER AROUND TO PRACTICE TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. PILOT SAID HE WAS CIRCLING AROUND THE WEST SIDE OF THE RUNWAY TO LAND AND WAS PLANNING A TURN INTO A HEADWIND AND WAS MAYBE 40-50 FEET AGL WITH 40 MPH INDICATED. UPON STARTING A LEFT TURN, HE REALIZED HE WAS ADDING COLLECTIVE AND NOTHING WAS HAPPENING AND THE POWER WAS NOT INCREASING. HE BELIEVES HE HEARD A CHANGE IN ENGINE NOISE THEN DROPPED COLLECTIVE TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM.THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED RAPIDLY TO ABOUT 10-15 FT AGL THEN PULLED COLLECTIVE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE VERY HARD.  STATED HE DIDN’T LOSE THE TAILROTOR BUT DID FEEL THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER.

## 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 WPR24LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA009), Oct 1, 2023: Stephen D Phillabaum Helicycle (N519SP), Deer Park, WA, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation resulting from contamination of the fuel system during low-level flight.

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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