- Date
- September 9, 1982, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Zilwauker, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9463ABensen BM8
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820909045479A
- Case key
- 73118
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
During flight at about 1500 ft AGL, the aircraft engine lost power. The pilot made a steep approach to land in a small field surrounded by power lines. He stated that during an extreme flare to stop the forward flight, the main rotor blades hit the ground and the rotor mast failed. An examination of the engine revealed that the no. 1 and no. 2 pistons were damaged by needle bearings from the no. 2 wrist pin, mccullock pn GB138X.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9463A
- Reported as
- Bensen BM8
- Category
- Gyroplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6776
- Airframe hours
- 63
- Engine
- Mccullock 4318AX, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ralph R. Porlaf
- Registered owner
- Ralph R. Porlaf
- Departed
- 11 · Zilwauker, MI
- Destination
- 11 · Zilwauker, MI
- Airport
- 11 · Browne
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
- 51
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 243 total · 63 in this make and model · 177 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 167 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.