- Date
- September 12, 1990, 16:03 local (23:03 UTC)
- Place
- Novato, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2159WBrantly Helicopter B-2B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 26920
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 improper execution of the autorotation. Contributing to this accident was the excessive sink rate and misjudging of the altitude.
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
While on an added rating flight test the FAA designated examiner called for a simulated eng failure. The private pilot applicant immediately lowered the collective and began a 180 degree turn into the wind. When the helicopter was about 160 degrees into the turn and was about 50 feet above the ground the pilot began the power recovery but due to the high sink rate the skids struck the soft dirt of a freshly plowed field causing the helicopter to roll to the right and the main rotor blades to strike the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2159W
- Reported as
- Brantly Helicopter B-2B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 320
- Engine
- Lycoming IVO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Rosenberg, Kenneth P.
- Registered owner
- Rosenberg, Kenneth P
- Airport
- 056 · Gnoss
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 338 total · 61 in this make and model · 234 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F