- Date
- June 27, 2009, 11:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Waxahachie, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N1934Sidler Mike Rotorway
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Loss of tail rotor effectiveness
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Dallas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090627011229A
- Case key
- 74158
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’s failure to control his rate of descent during autorotation, which required an aggressive recovery maneuver and resulted in a sudden loss of tail rotor effectiveness.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The private pilot was conducting a practice 180-degree power recovery autorotation in a helicopter with a clockwise rotating main rotor with a right crosswind of three knots. The pilot said he had a higher than expected rate of descent as he was flaring at zero airspeed and attempting a power recovery to terminate at a skid height of approximately 15 feet above ground level. Suddenly, and without warning the pilot lost directional control, the helicopter began to spin nose left, and his application of full right pedal had no effect. The pilot said he tried to keep the helicopter level while it was spinning, but it eventually impacted on the left side of the taxiway. The helicopter was substantially damaged when the left skid gear partially collapsed and the airframe and tail boom buckled. During the impact sequence the main rotor blades struck the tail boom and the main rotor blades and tail rotor blades struck the ground. An on-scene investigation by an FAA maintenance inspector confirmed flight control continuity and confirmed no apparent damage to the tail rotor drive belts. There was no post-crash fire and the pilot received minor injuries.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was conducting a practice 180 degree power recovery autorotation in a helicopter with a clockwise rotating main rotor with a right crosswind of three knots. The pilot said he had a higher than expected rate of descent as he was flaring at zero airspeed and attempting a power recovery to terminate at a skid height of approximately 15 feet above ground level. Suddenly and without warning the pilot lost directional control, the helicopter began to spin nose left, and his application of full right pedal had no effect. The pilot said he tried to keep the helicopter level while it was spinning but it eventually impacted on the left side of the taxiway. The helicopter was substantially damaged when the left skid gear partially collapsed and the airframe and tail boom buckled. During the impact sequence the main rotor blades struck the tail boom and the main rotor blades and tail rotor blades struck the ground. An on-scene investigation by an FAA maintenance inspector confirmed flight control continuity and confirmed no apparent damage to the tail rotor drive belts. There was no post-crash fire and the pilot received minor injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1934
- Reported as
- Sidler Mike Rotorway (162 F)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6294
- Airframe hours
- 197
- Engine
- Rotorway RI 162F, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sidler Mike
- Registered owner
- Sidler Mike
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 17, 2009 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- KJWY · Waxahachie, TX
- Destination
- KJWY · Waxahachie, TX
- Airport
- KJWY · Mid-Way Regional Airport, runway 18, 4,999 × 40 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 17, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 90 in this make and model · 60 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KJWY, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 305 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.