- Date
- December 16, 2023, 10:37 local (16:37 UTC)
- Place
- Tuscumbia, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N60932Rabe Richard Exec 162F
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- 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
- 20231216022199A
- Case key
- 193602
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, which resulted in the right skid contacting the ground and a subsequent rollover.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot was practicing hovering without the supervision of a flight instructor. The pilot reported that the winds were gusty and he estimated the surface winds to be about 10 to 15 mph. The pilot stated he started to drift and attempted to make a turn; during the turn, the pilot realized he was too close to some objects, and he began to panic. The pilot lowered the collective and the back right skid contacted the ground, after which he pulled up on the collective and lost control of the helicopter. Subsequently, the helicopter rolled over into a ditch; the pilot evacuated and a post-accident fire ensued, resulting in substantial damage to the helicopter. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N60932
- Reported as
- Rabe Richard Exec 162F
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6429
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 150.9
- Engine
- Rotorway RI 162F, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 3, 2023 · 10 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Onboard weather
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 38 total · 15 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- MSL, 6 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KMSL 161653Z AUTO 14009KT 10SM OVC080 14/05 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP227 T01390050=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 21, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 18.5 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.