# Accident 20250704009739A: Robbins C/Robbins J ROTORWAY EXEC 162F, Burlington, PA, July 4, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 4, 2025, 17:35 local time
- Place: Burlington, PA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.0000° N, 76.0000° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.0000&lon=-76.0000&mi=10
- Aircraft: N31XR, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N31XR) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robbins C/Robbins J ROTORWAY EXEC 162F (registry code 0562244, https://openairdocs.org/model/robbins-c-robbins-j-rotorway-exec-162f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotorway RI-162F (registry code 55007, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotorway-ri-162f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBBINS C/ROBBINS J ROTORWAY EXEC 162F
- Reported engine: ROTORWAY RI 162F
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 18,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA25LA259](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA259) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250704009739A

## Narrative

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

THE FOLLOWING IS A STATEMENT FROM THE PILOT:

"AT MY HOME FIELD, 0PA3, I PULLED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A ROTORWAY 162F, OUT OF OUR HANGAR AT APPROXIMATELY 1610,

JULY 4, 2025. I ADDED APPROXIMATELY 8 GALLONS OF FUEL. TOTAL FUEL WAS SOMETHING LIKE 10 GALLONS. I

CLEANED THE CANOPY AND DID THE PREFLIGHT. I FOUND NO ISSUES DURING THE PREFLIGHT. START AND WARM UP

WAS NORMAL. FUEL SHOWED ABOVE 3/4 OF A TANK AND OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS 27.5 C, ACCORDING TO THE

DIGITAL ENGINE CONTROL. HOVER CHECK HAD NORMAL INSTRUMENT INDICATIONS AND MANIFOLD PRESSURE TO

HOVER IN GROUND EFFECT WAS ABOUT 24 INCHES AND OUT OF GROUND EFFECT WAS ABOUT 27 INCHES. THE WIND

WAS ALMOST CALM AT THIS POINT AND I LIFTED UP AND TRANSITIONED TO THE GRASS RUNWAY. AFTER SOME

BASIC HOVER MANEUVERS I EXECUTED THREE TAKEOFFS TO QUICK STOPS GOING SOUTH ON THE RUNWAY, THEN

TURNED AROUND AND DID THREE MORE GOING NORTH. I THEN DEPARTED 0PA3 AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 1800FT MSL

AND PROCEEDED WEST OF EAST TROY AND THEN TURNED EAST AND PROCEEDED ALONG THE BASE OF MOUNT PISGAH

AND SOUTH OF THE LAKE AT MOUNT PISGAH STATE PARK. I THEN TURNED SOUTH AND PROCEEDED ALONG THE

BURLINGTON TURNPIKE TOWARD BURLINGTON AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 2100 FT MSL. I FLEW OVER THE WEST SIDE

OF MOUNTAIN LAKE. I HAD BEEN AIRBORNE FOR MAYBE 20 MINUTES AT THIS POINT. AS I WAS TURNING WEST TO

RETURN TO 0PA3 SMOKE BEGAN TO ENTER THE COCKPIT. ALL THE ENGINE AND FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS WERE NORMAL

SO I THOUGHT MAYBE THE SMOKE WAS FROM A GROUND SOURCE, BUT THERE WERE NO FIRES IN THE AREA. THE

SMOKE QUICKLY GOT WORSE SO IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT I HAD A FIRE AND I STARTED TO SCAN THE IMMEDIATE

AREA FOR AN APPROPRIATE LANDING SPOT AND BEGAN A DESCENT. THEN THERE WAS A BANG AND THE AIRCRAFT

LURCHED SO I IMMEDIATELY DROPPED THE COLLECTIVE AND ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A

FULL STOP AUTOROTATION INTO A HAYFIELD AND LANDED WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. I SHUTDOWN THE

AIRCRAFT. I BELIEVE THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING WHEN I SHUT DOWN. I EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND SAW TINY

FLAMES COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE LEFT SIDE JUST BEHIND THE AFT SKID LEG. THE

FLAMES GREW QUICKLY AND I CALLED 911. IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 1710. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED

BY FIRE BUT THE FIRE DID NOT ADVANCE BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE AIRCRAFT SO THE IMPACT TO

THE HAYFIELD WAS MINIMAL. I SUSTAINED NO INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THE EVENT".

## 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 ERA25LA259](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA259), Jul 4, 2025: Robbins C/Robbins J Rotorway Exec 162F (N31XR), Towanda, PA, destroyed. Probable cause: An in-flight fire for reasons that could not be determined due to the extent of fire damage.

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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