- Date
- April 18, 1987, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Arcola, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9728NHunter Executive
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870418010399A
- Case key
- 22187
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
The acft was being test flown following the replacement of a tail rotor drive belt. Following a ground run up and ground taxi, several hovering flts were made successfully. As the non-helicopter rated plt was hovering back to the parking area, he heard the belt begin slipping and the nose of the helicopter rotated to the left. Application of right pedal did not arrest the left yaw and the acft struck the ground hard while in a left yaw with the right skid down. Following initial impact the acft rolled over on its left side and was consumed by a post impact fire which also destroyed the tail rotor drive belt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9728N
- Reported as
- Hunter Executive
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 802946
- Airframe hours
- 18
- Engine
- Rotorway RW152, 152 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David Hunter
- Registered owner
- David Hunter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · September 29, 1986 · 18 hours before
- Airport
- AXH · Arcola/Houston, runway 10, 5,000 × 100 ft, concrete
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 147 total · 18 in this make and model · 124 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 28.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HUB, 14 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.