- Date
- May 21, 1994, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Corona, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N10TEHillberg EH-101
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940521015779A
- Case key
- 28744
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 control of the helicopter while hovering downwind. A lack of test-flight data to establish the aircraft's performance limitations was a factor in the accident.
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 pilot/aircraft designer was hovering an experimental helicopter about 15 feet above the ground while it was being photographed by another helicopter. The pilot turned the tail of his aircraft into the wind and it began to settle in its own rotorwash. The pilot was unable to control the descent and the helicopter touched down in soft terrain and then rolled over. The helicopter had accumulated 5.6 hours of test-flight time and the performance limitations of the aircraft had not been established.
Factual narrative
On May 21, 1994, about 1630 hours Pacific daylight time, an experimental Hillberg EH-101 homebuilt helicopter, N10TE, crashed while maneuvering at the Corona Municiple Airport, Corona, California. The helicopter was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local flight when the accident occurred. The helicopter, operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Corona about 1615 hours.
The pilot reported that he was flying at 15 knots airspeed while being filmed by another helicopter. The pilot slowed the aircraft and turned the tail into the prevailing wind. The helicopter began to settle to the ground from about a 15 foot hover and the landing gear touched down in soft terrain. The right front portion of the landing gear skid dug into the ground and the helicopter rolled over onto its right side. The helicopter received damage to the main rotor blades, landing gear skids, and tail boom.
The helicopter had accumulated 8.5 hours of operation on the ground and 5.6 hours of flight time. The pilot's total time in the aircraft is also 5.6 hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10TE
- Reported as
- Hillberg EH-101
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 01
- Airframe hours
- 6
- Engine
- Garrett GTPC-36-55-C, 145 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald Hillberg
- Registered owner
- Donald G. Hillberg
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 1994 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- L66
- Destination
- L66 · CA
- Airport
- L66 · Corona
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,337 total · 6 in this make and model · 1,337 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.