- Date
- September 17, 1992, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Endicott, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N727TBTroy Bellah Rotorway Executive
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920917044249A
- Case key
- 11859
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot did not attain the proper touchdown point.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was practicing landings from a hover onto a dolly which was about 18 inches above the ground. The pilot stated he touched the helicopter down too FAR aft on the dolly. He said he immediately brought in full up-collective control but the tail skid had already contacted either the dolly or the ramp. The tail rotor blades disintegrated. He said the helicopter went through a 360-degree slow turn due to lack of tail rotor torque control and upon touchdown the left skid bent 45 degrees from its normal position due to the sideward force. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions prior to initial impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N727TB
- Reported as
- Troy Bellah Rotorway Executive (ROTORWAY E)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3664
- Airframe hours
- 142
- Engine
- Rotorway 152, 152 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David E. Hause
- Registered owner
- David E. Hause
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 1992 · 9 hours before
- Airport
- N17 · Tri-Cities
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15,034 total · 15 in this make and model · 12,959 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.