- Date
- October 2, 1982, 18:30 local (Oct 3, 1982, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Manhattan, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N133RWScorpion 133
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821002051719A
- Case key
- 71562
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
Battery failed because it had not been charged. No on board charging provision. Electric pump could not operate without electricity. No fuel to engine. During an autorotative landing, the tail rotor was damaged. With no tail rotor control, the helicopter slid sideways after touchdown and rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N133RW
- Reported as
- Scorpion 133
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 2552
- Airframe hours
- 389
- Engine
- Rotorway 133, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joe Molendyk
- Registered owner
- Joe Molendyk
- Departed
- Manhattan, MT
- Destination
- Manhattan, MT
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 410 in this make and model · 465 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 131 °F
- 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.
Other investigations on N133RW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.