- Date
- April 16, 2006, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kalkaska, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N42996Palulis John Exec 162F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060416011109A
- Case key
- 63596
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 compensation for wind conditions not performed by the pilot during hover. An additional cause was the tailwind.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The experimental amauter-built helicopter impacted terrain when a reported wind gust raised the tail and pushed the helicopter forward resulting in a loss of control and a hard landing. The helicopter was piloted by a student pilot who did not have a current solo endorsement.
Factual narrative
On April 16, 2006, at 1030 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Palulis Exec 162F, N42996, owned and piloted by a student pilot, received substantial damage on impact with terrain during a hard landing near Kalkaska, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was uninjured. The local flight originated from the pilot's property near Kalkaska, Michigan, at 1000.
The student pilot stated that he was "hovering back" to the hangar when a gust of wind from behind picked up the tail and pushed the helicopter forward. There was a "loss of control," and the helicopter "set down hard."
The student pilot stated that he received the following student endorsements:
Hover on February 17, 2005
Solo on September 16, 2005
Cross Country on November 23, 2005
The student pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he didn't think he needed a current student solo endorsement; because, the flight was to take place on the pilot's property.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42996
- Reported as
- Palulis John Exec 162F
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6444
- Engine
- unknown 162-F, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pilot
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- PVT · Kalkaska, MI
- Destination
- PVT · Grand Rapids, 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 79 total · 79 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.