# NTSB CEN10LA558: Worthington Rotorway, N520RW, Pattison, TX, September 25, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 25, 2010, 09:25 local (14:25 UTC) - Place: Pattison, TX - Coordinates: 29.810277, -96.046669 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.8103&lon=-96.0467&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report December 27, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards Distrixct Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 77397 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN10LA558 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/77397/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=77397 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN10LA558 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain main rotor rpm, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with terrain. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Worthington William Scott ROTORWAY EXEC 90, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=05621PT), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Worthington William Scott ROTORWAY EXEC 90, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=05621PT), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) ## Analysis A witness working in a field observed the helicopter fly overhead and heard the rotor blades making "funny noises." Shortly after, the witness lost sight of the helicopter and observed a plume of smoke. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies with the flight control system, rotor system, or engine. A technical representative of the helicopter manufacturer examined the photographs taken on scene, and reported that the main rotor blades displayed signatures consistent with a decay of the main rotor rpm. ## Factual narrative On September 25, 2010, about 0925 central daylight time, a Worthington Rotorway International Exec 90, N520RW, impacted terrain near Pattison, Texas. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, was fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from the pilot's residence in Brookshire, Texas, approximately 0915. According to the lead Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who went to the scene, this was the first flight of the helicopter since the owner had performed some maintenance. The work had not been recorded in the helicopter's maintenance records. A witness working in a nearby field said he heard and saw the helicopter fly overhead. He said the "rotor blades were making funny noises." He then observed a plume of smoke. He did not witness the impact. The witness did not submit a written statement. FAA inspectors examined the wreckage and said they found no anomalies with the flight control system, rotor system, or engine. Photographs taken at the accident site were sent to Rotorway International. A company representative told FAA that the main rotor blades displayed signatures consistent with a decay of the main rotor rpm. According to the autopsy report, death was attributed to "massive blunt force injuries consistent with high-speed deceleration trauma." According to FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) toxicology report, ethanol was detected in various tissue samples, but putrefaction was noted. Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine, was detected in liver and kidney tissue. A postaccident examination of the maintenance records revealed that construction of N520RW (serial number 6839) was completed in June 2007. It was powered by a 150 horsepower Rotorway RI 162F engine. The pilot performed the last conditional inspection on August 26, 2008, and 25-hour and 50-hour inspections on September 15. The pilot's most recent logbook containing entries from March 19, 2010, to August 29, 2010, was examined. The pilot had submitted to three flight reviews, all on March 19, 2010, in a Bell 47 and in a Robinson R-22 and R-44. His total time was 196.5 hours. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N520RW](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N520RW-2017-04-18), registration cancelled 2017-04-18, S/N 6839, built 2007 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Worthington Rotorway (Exec 90) - Registry model: [Worthington William Scott ROTORWAY EXEC 90](https://openairdocs.org/model/worthington-william-scott-rotorway-exec-90) (registry code 05621PT) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotorway RI-162F](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotorway-ri-162f) (registry code 55007, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter, amateur-built - Serial number: 6839 - Airframe hours: 78 - Engines: Rotorway RI 162F 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: William S. Worthington - Registered owner: William S. Worthington - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, August 26, 2008 - Departed: NONE, Brookshire, TX - Destination: NONE, Brookshire, TX - Airport: NONE, Private Helipad ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 57; injuries: fatal; private; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: right; toxicology performed; flight hours: 198 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 82 °F, dew point 73 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: KCXO ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20100925047749A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100925047749A), Sep 25, 2010: Worthington ROTORWAY EX, Pattison, TX, Destroyed, 1 fatal. On 09/25/2010 at approxamately 09:50 am,CDT, N520RW, an amaetur built, rotorway exec 90, helicopter, crahlanded in a field approximately 2 miles west of… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 19, 2011, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=77397. 210 KB in all. - Record of Conversation (item 1, .PDF, 49 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40356945&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation-Master.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 2, .PDF, 43 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338748&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF - Toxicology Report (item 3, .PDF, 118 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40340407&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicology%20Report-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.