MIA99LA243

A Sheriff's deputy, that lived near the crash site, saw the helicopter in a field, noted that a crash had occurred, and that there was no one at the helicopter. The deputy noted that the helicopter was sitting upright, the tail section and tail rotor had 'sheered off,' the main rotor blades were bent and broken. The deputy reported, '...a citizen passerby stopped and said, 'He did it again.' I asked the citizen if he knew whose helicopter it was and the citizen pointed to a house....' The pilot told the deputy, '...he had been flying the aircraft when it crashed...he was up in the air about 200 feet, when he lost power and then auto gyrated back down into the field...he hit the ground hard which caused the blades to bend down and sheer off the tail section. On April 14, 2000, the pilot submitted the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, and stated, '...Lost electronic ignition....alternator not working and battery discharged.' The pilot removed the helicopter from the crash site without permission, and never notified anyone of the accident. An FAA inspector went to the pilot/owner's house, observed the helicopter in his backyard, and said, '...[the pilot] would not answer the door.' He saw a pink helicopter with tail damage, and the rotor had been removed. The pilot was not helicopter rated, and was not qualified or certified to fly the accident helicopter.

On August 28, 1999, about 1140 eastern daylight time, a Powers Rotorway Exec 162 experimental helicopter, N314SP, registered to an individual, impacted with the ground during a forced landing near Tampa, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 local personal flight. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The private-rated pilot reported no injuries. The flight had departed from the Tampa North Airport at an unknown time.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, when their deputy, who lived near the crash site, and saw that an accident had occurred, arrived at the crash site there was no one at the helicopter. The deputy noted that the helicopter was in a field about 600 feet from a dead end road. The helicopter was sitting upright, the tail section and tail rotor had "sheered off," the main rotor blades were bent and broken. The deputy reported, "...a citizen passerby stopped and said, 'He did it again.' I asked the citizen if he knew whose helicopter it was and the citizen pointed to a house...."

The deputy went to the house and spoke to the pilot. The pilot told him, "...he had been flying the aircraft when it crashed...he was just flying around the airport where he keeps the helicopter...he was up in the air about 200 feet, when he lost power and then auto gyrated back down into the field...he hit the ground hard which caused the blades to bend down and sheer off the tail section. He does not know exactly why he lost power, but suspects an electrical problem...." On April 14, 2000, the pilot submitted the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, and stated, "...Lost electronic ignition...alternator not working and battery discharged."

According to the FAA, another witness saw the helicopter after it was damaged, and saw the pilot remove the helicopter on a trailer. The pilot never notified anyone of the accident and removed the helicopter without permission. The FAA was notified by the sheriff. An FAA inspector went to the pilot/owner's house and observed the helicopter in his backyard. The FAA inspector said, "...[the pilot] would not answer the door. I observed a person working on the aircraft when I arrived...a car was in the driveway. I took a couple photos over the fence...I saw a pink helicopter with tail damage. The rotor had been removed." The pilot was not helicopter rated, and was not qualified certified to fly the accident helicopter.