- Date
- June 17, 1998, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Manchester, IN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N311RMParker Rotorway 162-F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980617013999A
- Case key
- 10920
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 pilot misjudged the flare.
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 stated that he was practicing takeoffs and landings in his amateur built helicopter. He said that he chose to conduct the takeoffs and landings in a neighbors bean field because there were no obstructions. He said that as he approached to land he held the tail too low, and it impacted the terrain. He said that he then lost control and the helicopter rolled over on the right side.
Factual narrative
On June 17, 1998, at 1030 central daylight time, a Parker Rotorway 162-F, N311RM, impacted the terrain while attempting to land at a private strip in North Manchester, Indiana. The pilot received minor injuries and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was being operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings in the local area. The flight originated from a private field in North Manchester, Indiana, at 1010. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated that he departed his property for the first flight with the intentions of making practice landings. He chose his neighbors bean field because of no obstructions. He stated in his written statement that as he approached the landing spot, he held the tail too low, striking the ground and losing control of the helicopter which rolled over on the right side.
An examination of the helicopter after the accident failed to find any pre-accident anomalies which might have contributed to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N311RM
- Reported as
- Parker Rotorway 162-F (ROTORWAY 1)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6271
- Airframe hours
- 7
- Engine
- Rotorway 162F, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roger L. Parker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- NONE · N. Manchester, IN
- Destination
- NONE
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
- 62
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GUS, 28 nm away
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 N311RM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.