- Date
- January 12, 2022, 12:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Gallatin, TN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N32CMCharles C Menger JR Safari 400
- Defining event
- Taxi: Abrupt maneuver
- 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/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220112000579A
- Case key
- 104521
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
A reported stuck throttle for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations and subsequent loss of control during hover.
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
According to the pilot, he was performing the first flight after a condition inspection. He put the helicopter into a hover, noted the “throttle locked up and [the helicopter] got away” from him. The helicopter rolled onto its side and impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom. Furthermore, he reported an overspeed and “hard vibration” prior to the rollover. A post-accident examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of any pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. In addition, the throttle governor was bench tested with no anomalies noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32CM
- Reported as
- Charles C Menger JR Safari 400
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- CM001
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 85
- Engine
- Lycoming YO-360-EXP63, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- XNX · Music City Exec
- 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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- XNX
- METAR
- KXNX 121735Z AUTO 21008G17KT 10SM CLR 10/M05 A3026 RMK A01
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 24, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 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.