- Date
- March 28, 2015, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Marquette, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N556DGGiackino Donald W Rotorway 162F
- Defining event
- Unknown: Unknown or undetermined
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 5, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150328003309A
- Case key
- 90959
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 loss of helicopter control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Findings · 1
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 pilot reported that he planned on hovering in the helicopter to get some measurements using a vibration computer. After lifting off and entering a hover, the helicopter started to yaw left. The pilot applied the right pedal, but the yaw continued. While the pilot maneuvered the helicopter away from buildings, it entered a spin and then spun about six to eight times before a main rotor blade struck a tree. The pilot stated that there was only a light breeze and no wind gusts at the time of the accident. An examination of the tail rotor drive belts revealed that at least two of the three belts were not damaged. The reason for the loss of control could not be determined.
Factual narrative
On March 28, 2015, about 1400 eastern daylight time, a Rotorway 162F helicopter, N556DG, impacted terrain shortly after lifting off from a private helipad in Marquette, Michigan. The commercial rated pilot was not injured and the helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. According to the pilot, he was operating in a confined area and planned to hover, in order to get some measurements from a vibration computer. Just after bringing the helicopter to a hover, the helicopter started to yaw left, he applied right pedal, but the yaw continued. The pilot then tried to maneuver the helicopter away from buildings, but the helicopter entered into a spin. The pilot added that the helicopter spun at least 6-8 times before a main rotor blade struck a tree. The helicopter then impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades, fuselage, and tailboom. The pilot recalled there was only a slight breeze and no wind gusts. The Federal Administration Aviation (FAA) inspector did not do an on-site examination; however, the pilot inspected the tail rotor drive belts, and was able to determine that at least 2 of the 3 belts were not damaged. He was unable to determine the reason for the loss of tail rotor effectiveness
Aircraft
- Registration
- N556DG
- Reported as
- Giackino Donald W Rotorway 162F
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6612
- Airframe hours
- 27.5
- Engine
- Rotorway 162F, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 28, 2015
- Departed
- Marquette, MI
- Destination
- Marquette, MI
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 917 total · 165 in this make and model · 798 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAW, 10 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 18, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 MB 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.