20251207019009A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Rotorway 162F · Needles, CA · December 7, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: December 7, 2025 · 10:30 local
Place: Needles, CA
Airport: Chemehuevi Valley
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: C-GBZD
Reported as: Rotorway 162F
Reported engine: Rotorway RI-162F
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Private pilot, unknown or foreign certificate
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,103 total

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.

Statement from the privacy data omitted/operator and PIC said that a week prior to the accident he removed the throttle cable to reroute some wires. When he reinstalled the cable he replaced the nut with a nut that didn't allow the proper thread protrusion. He intended on replacing the nut with an appropriate one, but forgot. This may have cause the nut to fall off and the throttle cable to disconnect during the accident flight.

As the FAA filed it

STATEMENT FROM THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^/OPERATOR AND PIC SAID THAT A WEEK PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT HE REMOVED THE THROTTLE CABLE TO REROUTE SOME WIRES. WHEN HE REINSTALLED THE CABLE HE REPLACED THE NUT WITH A NUT THAT DIDN'T ALLOW THE PROPER THREAD PROTRUSION. HE INTENDED ON REPLACING THE NUT WITH AN APPROPRIATE ONE, BUT FORGOT. THIS MAY HAVE CAUSE THE NUT TO FALL OFF AND THE THROTTLE CABLE TO DISCONNECT DURING THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT.