- Date
- July 24, 1990, 20:10 local (Jul 25, 1990, 04:10 UTC)
- Place
- Oroville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4639ECloutier Scorpion 133
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900724028529A
- Case key
- 26583
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 loss of directional control.
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.
Loss of control - in flight
Directional control - not maintainedCause
Lack of total experience in type of aircraftCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
A helicopter collided with the ground while the pilot was attempting to hover.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4639E
- Reported as
- Cloutier Scorpion 133 (SCORPION 1)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1246
- Airframe hours
- 220
- Engine
- Rotorway RW-1, 133 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hodges, William S.
- Registered owner
- William S. Hodges
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 1990 · 6 hours before
N4639ERegistration cancelled Jun 27, 2013 · Cloutier/Cloutier SCORPION 133Airframe modelCloutier/Cloutier SCORPION 133Engine modelRotorway RW-133 series
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 6 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RBL, 55 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.