- Date
- December 31, 1992, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chandler, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N43385Rotorway Executive
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921231052599A
- Case key
- 27898
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
An engine compartment fire for undetermined reasons.
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 flight instructor, who is also the owner of the helicopter, reported that the student had lifted off and achieved a forward airspeed of about 40 knots at 10 feet AGL when he noticed that the oil and water temperature indicators were increasing rapidly. He took control of the helicopter and turned to land in the alfalfa field used for takeoff and the cockpit suddenly filled with smoke. The instructor said he landed the helicopter with some forward momentum and it rolled over after the skids dug into the ground. The instructor and his student escaped through the cockpit windshield as the helicopter erupted into flames, which totally consumed the helicopter. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the burned remains and reported that the engine compartment, including all hoses and accessory fittings, was destroyed by the fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43385
- Reported as
- Rotorway Executive
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- E-3413
- Airframe hours
- 148
- Engine
- Rotorway RW-162, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- James A. Sagerser
- Registered owner
- Sagerser & Occauizzo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 30, 1992 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,869 total · 120 in this make and model · 2,375 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.