- Date
- September 8, 2018, 13:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Highgate, VT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N699WCBosko Wr/Bosko Ce Safari
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- FAA report
- 20180908013289A
- Case key
- 98274
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 failure to maintain lateral control during a 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
The student pilot reported that, while hovering the helicopter, a wind gust picked up the helicopter and pushed it to the left. He attempted to recover, but the skid impacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled onto its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the windscreen and tailboom. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 340° at 4 knots.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, while hovering the helicopter, a wind gust picked up the helicopter and pushed it to the left. He attempted to recover, but the skid impacted the ground and the helicopter rolled onto its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the windscreen and tailboom. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 340° at 4 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N699WC
- Reported as
- Bosko Wr/Bosko Ce Safari
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0619
- Built
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 300.6
- Engine
- Superior XPIO-360-A3C2, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 14, 2018
- Departed
- FSO · Highgate, VT
- Destination
- FSO · Highgate, VT
- Airport
- FSO · Franklin County State
- Equipment
- None
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 49.2 total · 6 in this make and model · 49.2 as pilot in command · 14.3 in the last 90 days · 11.1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- KFSO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 3, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 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.