- Date
- May 16, 2020, 19:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Rochester, IN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N311RMRotorway Exec
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Dynamic rollover
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20200516006249A
- Case key
- 101282
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 maintain control of the helicopter during lift off. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience flying a helicopter.
Findings · 2
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 commercial pilot reported that he intended to take the helicopter out to practice hover flight. As he started to lift the helicopter off of the ground and move towards the grass, he lost control of the helicopter and it impacted the ground. An examination of the helicopter revealed substantial damage to the tail boom and main rotor. The pilot attributed his inability to maintain control of the helicopter to a stronger than expected crosswind and that he had not flown a helicopter for about 19 years.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N311RM
- Reported as
- Rotorway Exec (F)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1672
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 206
- Engine
- Rotorway, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- RCR · Rochester, IN
- Destination
- RCR · Rochester, IN
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- RCR · Fulton County
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 84
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Last flight review
- May 22, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,357 total · 80 in this make and model · 0 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KRCR
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 5, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 175 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.