- Date
- February 9, 1992, 15:55 local (20:55 UTC)
- Place
- Lakeland, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N618VNBurch Rotorway Exec
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920209002429A
- Case key
- 33063
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-in-command's improper application of cyclic and collective pitch control during an autorotative landing. This resulted in a hard landing, collision of the main rotor blades with the tailboom, and subsequent roll over of the helicopter. Contributing to the accident was a partial loss of engine power caused by a total failure of the engine assemby exhaust valve.
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 private pilot was on final approach for landing in VFR conditions when the engine sustained a partial loss of engine power. The pilot entered autorotation. At 30-40 feet AGL a deceleration was initiated and collective pitch was applied at 3-7 feet AGL. The helicopter touched down hard with forward movement and the main rotor blades collided with the tailboom. The helicopter skidded forward and the tip of the left skid became imbedded in a mound of dirt. The helicopter rolled over on its left side sustaining substantial damage. The private pilot was not injured. Examination of the airframe by the FAA and the local police department revealed the left skid separated from the fuselage at the weld joint on the skid support strut. Examination of the engine by a field representative for rotorway international for the registered owner revealed an exhaust valve on the number 2 cylinder had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N618VN
- Reported as
- Burch Rotorway Exec (ROTORWAY E)
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3480
- Airframe hours
- 255
- Engine
- Rotorway RW152, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald W.Case
- Registered owner
- Ronald W.Case
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 9, 1992 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- LAL · Lakeland Regional
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,074 total · 34 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 38 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.