- Date
- October 10, 2020, 14:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Woodstock, CT
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N899RTEnstrom 480
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Roll over
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20201010019029A
- Case key
- 102127
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’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter while attempting to land on a trailer in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a dynamic rollover.
Findings · 2
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 pilot reported that he was attempting to land the helicopter on a trailer when a gust of wind pushed the helicopter and the left skid got caught under the side of the trailer. The helicopter entered a dynamic rollover and impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, main rotor blades, tailboom and the tail rotor. The wind speed reported at an airport located about 14 nautical miles from the accident site was 11 knots with gusts up to 20 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N899RT
- Reported as
- Enstrom 480 (B)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5044
- Engine
- Rolls Royce, 285 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- NH16 · Brookline, NH
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- C44 · Toutant Airport
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 90
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,014 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 11 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KIJD, 14 nm away
- METAR
- KIJD 101752Z AUTO 20011G20KT 10SM CLR 23/13 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP124 T02330133 10239 20139 58026
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 17, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.