ANC97LA005

On October 29, 1996, about 0737 Alaska standard time, an experimental Ken Seright, Rotorway Exec 162F helicopter, N711KN, crashed during a forced landing, about 7 miles south of Haines, Alaska. The helicopter was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country instructional flight when the accident occurred. The helicopter, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight departed Haines airport at 0730.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, Juneau Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) reported that following an engine failure, the pilot made an emergency landing on the beach near Seduction Point located on the Chilkat Peninsula. In a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported he departed Haines for a flight to Juneau, Alaska. After departure, the pilot climbed to 2,000 feet mean sea level and then heard a sharp bang. He then observed smoke in the cockpit. The pilot declared an emergency and entered an autorotation. The pilot selected an emergency landing area on a beach but the area was covered with large boulders. During the flare and landing, the engine responded momentarily when the pilot raised the collective pitch control but the engine did not have sufficient power to hover. The helicopter sustained damage to the landing gear skids, the tail rotor, and the tail boom structure adjacent to the tail rotor assembly.

The pilot reported that a postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed the engine compartment was coated with engine coolant. The air intake filter was saturated with coolant and one electronic ignition system was rendered inoperative from coolant saturation. A pressure test of the coolant system revealed a leak and spraying of coolant from a coolant pump manifold fitting. The pilot indicated the fitting has a rubber hose attached by a clamp and coolant was leaking at the attach point. The pilot stated the hose was placed in excessive tension at the fitting due to it being 1/2 inch too short. The pilot did not provide information on the tightness of the hose clamp.

The pilot holds a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. In the pilot/operator report the pilot submitted to the NTSB, he indicated having accrued 340 hours total time, including 47 hours in helicopters. The pilot received a student pilot endorsement for helicopters from the Rotorway training school. The Rotorway company documented the pilot's instruction for solo flight operations in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) 61.87. The endorsement included restrictions of operations in wind conditions over 10 MPH; hovering maneuvers were to be conducted in-ground effect; and flights were to be conducted as to avoid operation in the shaded area of the aircraft's height/velocity envelope.