- Date
- November 22, 1982, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4KFScorpion 133
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 22, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821122061129A
- Case key
- 70603
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 helicopter crashed while maneuvering at low altitude. The pilot had modified the cowling and had only completed the first phase of his training in this aircraft. The school warned the student not to try advanced flying without more instruction. A witness observed the pilot refueling the helicopter with a partially filled, 5 gal can of automobile gasoline. He stated that he thought the fuel tank was nearly empty when the pilot began refueling. Therefore, the witness estimated that the helicopter had 5 gal or less on board when it took off. He estimated that the engine used 8 to 9 gal per hour. After flying 15 to 20 min, the helicopter entered a descent and crashed. Virtually no fuel was found in the helicopter, and there was no evidence that fuel had drained out at the crash site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4KF
- Reported as
- Scorpion 133
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- KF001
- Airframe hours
- 29
- Engine
- Rotorway 133TC, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- G.F. Harrison
- Registered owner
- G.F. Harrison
- Departed
- Englewood, CO
- Destination
- Englewood, CO
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 165 total · 23 in this make and model · 61 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.