- Date
- November 11, 2024, 14:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Waco, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N869DJComposite FX Mosquito XE
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of engine power (total)
- 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
- Composite-FX, FAA- North Texas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20241111022129A
- Case key
- 195474
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 total loss of engine power and subsequent impact with terrain during an autorotation. Contributing to the accident was the improper sealing of the liquid cooling system.
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 stated that while returning to the airport, the helicopter’s engine rpm dropped to zero with no warning. He initiated an autorotation and aligned the helicopter to touch down in an open field but noticed powerlines as he got closer. The pilot maneuvered away from the field and aimed for a clearing in a residential backyard. The main rotor blades impacted a tree, and the helicopter fell about 15 ft to the ground before it came to rest on its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and main rotor blades. According to maintenance records, the engine was removed and replaced about a month before the accident. Additionally, a condition inspection was completed by the owner four days before the accident during which he changed the spark plugs and adjusted the fuel mixture. A post-accident examination revealed corrosion at the radiator fill tube connection and a loose band clamp. Additionally, the engine exhibited signatures consistent with being operated at a temperature above the normal operating temperatures and evidence of piston seizure due to thermal expansion.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N869DJ
- Reported as
- Composite FX Mosquito XE
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- MXE1329D18B
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 73.5
- Engine
- Innovator Technology Inntec 800, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Campbell Richard W
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · November 7, 2024 · 0.7 hours before
- Departed
- PWG · McGregor, TX
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 76
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- October 31, 2024
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,890 total · 66 in this make and model · 776 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KPWG, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KPWG 112056Z AUTO 05004KT 10SM CLR 26/09 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP155 T02610089 56027
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 21, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.