- Date
- July 21, 1982, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Niles, OH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9239ZRotorway Scorpion TOO
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 21, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820721030769A
- Case key
- 72017
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
The plt's wife stated that the helicopter was taken across the street to an open field where the plt conducted his flt in the acft. She had never seen him fly this acft over about 3 ft AGL. The helicopter was observed to jump as if lifted by a gust of wind & veered over the bushes & small trees. The acft was then observed to climb & turn to the left at the same time. When it was about 50 ft high the helicopter then came straight down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9239Z
- Reported as
- Rotorway Scorpion TOO (SCORPION T)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7585
- Airframe hours
- 3
- Engine
- Outboard 135, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- George L. Bell
- Registered owner
- George L. Bell
- Departed
- Niles, OH
- Destination
- Niles, OH
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Invalid Medical for flight
- Flight hours
- 43 total · 11 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 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.