- Date
- July 19, 1987, 11:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Highridge, MO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N275FSRotorway Exec
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870719035289A
- Case key
- 34259
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt said the helicopter enctrd hi density altitude problems as it was moving out of ground effect drg takeoff. Subsequently, the helicopter settled into trees, then crashed to the ground in an inverted attitude. The temp & dew point were 90 & 77 deg, respectively. The density altitude was estimated to be about 2400 ft. also, the helicopter was near its maximum gross weight limit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N275FS
- Reported as
- Rotorway Exec
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 84E3270A
- Engine
- Rotorway ROTOR MAT, 152 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Spavale, Frank
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Destination
- 3WE · Fenton, MO
- Airport
- Pvt Helipad
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 260 in this make and model · 800 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STL, 11 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.