- Date
- December 18, 2018, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Strykersville, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N7535SRobinson R44
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) operating: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181218018769A
- Case key
- 98799
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 structural failure of the home-built landing platform during landing, which resulted in the helicopter rolling over.
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, during landing on a home-built landing platform, the helicopter landed normally and was stable. He reduced engine power and began to wait the prescribed engine cool-down period before shutdown. About 1 minute before the engine completely shut down, the platform collapsed, and the helicopter rolled aft and to the right and then came to rest on its right side. Postaccident examination of the platform revealed that it had a structural failure and had collapsed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during landing on a home-built landing platform (dolly), the helicopter landed normally and was stable. He reduced engine power and began to wait the prescribed engine cool down period before shutdown. About "60 seconds prior to complete shutdown", the platform (dolly) collapsed, and the helicopter rolled aft and to the right. The helicopter came to rest on its right side. Postaccident examination of the platform revealed that the home-built landing platform had a structural failure and collapsed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7535S
- Reported as
- Robinson R44 (II)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 10496
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 1,824.4
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Moog Inc.
- Registered owner
- Moog Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 6, 2018
- Departed
- Strykersville, NY
- Destination
- Strykersville, NY
- Airport
- PVT · KING AIRFIELD Private
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 25, 2018
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 2,300 in this make and model · 2,920 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KBUF, 16 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 12, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.1 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.
Other investigations on N7535S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.