- Date
- November 9, 2008, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Middletown, DE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N103DERandall Amanda Rotorway
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) operating: Dynamic rollover
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 24, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20081109851879A
- Case key
- 69420
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 student pilot’s excessive use of cyclic during the engine run-up. Contributing to the accident were the student pilot’s lack of overall experience and the gusting wind conditions.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The 12-hour student pilot was flying the helicopter following repair to the chain drive oil system. The throttle was advanced to 100 percent power while the helicopter was resting on the ground. The helicopter was aligned into the wind. The pilot moved the cyclic to the far right stop during run-up. The helicopter tipped to the right, the wind "caught the aircraft," and the main rotors came in contact with the ground. The helicopter then rolled over, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that the winds were from the south at 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots. The recorded wind, at an airport located approximately 10 miles northeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 280 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Factual narrative
The 12-hour student pilot was flying the helicopter following repair to the chain drive oil system. The throttle was advanced to 100 percent power while the helicopter was resting on the ground. The helicopter was aligned into the wind. The pilot moved the cyclic to the far right stop during run-up. The helicopter tipped to the right, the wind "caught the aircraft," and the main rotors came in contact with the ground. The helicopter then rolled over, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that the winds were from the south at 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots. The recorded wind, at an airport located approximately 10 miles northeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 280 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N103DE
- Reported as
- Randall Amanda Rotorway (Exec 162F)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6821
- Airframe hours
- 9
- Engine
- Rotorway RW152, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Randall Amanda
- Registered owner
- Randall Amanda
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- EVY · Middletown, DE
- Destination
- EVY · Middletown, DE
- Airport
- EVY · Summit Airport
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
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12 total · 12 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- ILG, 10 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.