- Date
- August 12, 1983, 06:30 local (11:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wabash, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9031FRobinson R-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830812041069A
- Case key
- 12033
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 autorotation practice, when the pilot rolled the throttle off, the engine quit. An engine restart was attempted. This time lapse allowed the rotor RPM to decay and a proper autorotation could not be done in theremaining altitude. The acft landed hard hitting a farm fence and rolling over. Before takeoff the pilot did not top offthe fuel but estimated 15 gallons aboard. Three days after the crash there was no fuel in the tank or the fuel system. There were no fuel stains on the overturned fuselage. There did seem to be some evidence of fuel smell on the ground. Inspection of the engine did not reveal anything to prevent normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9031F
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 007
- Airframe hours
- 804
- Engine
- Lycoming AO-320-A2B, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald A. Dehaven
- Registered owner
- Roto Flite, Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 20, 1982 · 8 hours before
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 819 total · 331 in this make and model · 819 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9031F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.