# NTSB CEN19WA285: Rotorway Exec 162F, Herisau, Switzerland, August 24, 2019

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Foreign investigation
- Date: August 24, 2019, 14:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place: Herisau, Switzerland
- Coordinates: 47.377498, 9.318611 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.3775&lon=9.3186&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Emergency descent](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/600) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Autorotation: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Status: Led by another country's authority
- NTSB office: Central Region
- Lead agency: Other
- NTSB case key (mKey): 100146
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN19WA285
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/100146/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19WA285

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Autorotation: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md)

## Factual narrative

On August 24, 2019, about 1400 universal coordinated time, a Rotorway Exec 162F helicopter, Swiss registration HB-YKJ, was destroyed when it crashed in a meadow during an autorotation and caught fire, about 3 miles south of Herisau, Switzerland. The pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the government of Switzerland. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the Swiss Transport Investigation Safety Board (STSB). The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the STSB investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Swiss Transport Investigation Safety Board (STSB) 3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. +41 58 466 80 79 Fax +41 58 466 33 01 Website: https://www.stsb.admin.ch

## Aircraft

- Registration: HB-YKJ (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: Rotorway EXEC 162F (Undesignat)
- Category: Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number: 6468
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Fire: On-Ground
- Operator: Widmer, Marcel
- Registered owner: Widmer, Marcel
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Other

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot

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.

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