- Date
- August 6, 1989, 10:49 local (14:49 UTC)
- Place
- Circleville, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4JKKeener Rotorway/Exec
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890806027389A
- Case key
- 14192
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
Material failure of an oil line allowing oil to escape and ignite as it touched hot exhaust manifold surfaces.
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 pilot of the accident helicopter smelled and saw smoke in the cockpit, and noted a low oil pressure indication during cruise flight. The pilot performed an autorotation in a field. After landing, flames were observed in the area of the exhaust manifold. Two handheld fire extinguishers were expended on the flames, but efforts to put out the fire were unsuccessful and the helciopter was destroyed. Examination of the wreckage determined that oil most probably was leaking from a split in the oil pressure line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4JK
- Reported as
- Keener Rotorway/Exec (ROTORWAY/E)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 86E3429A
- Engine
- Rotorway RW-152, 152 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jeffrey L. Keener
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 2, 1989 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- RZT · Chillicothe, OH
- Destination
- RZT · Chillicothe, 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 156 total · 53 in this make and model · 72 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.