- Date
- April 28, 1987, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gerald, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4891HRotorway Executive
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870428012719A
- Case key
- 34375
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 stu PIC was solo on a x-country flt when the eng backfired. The stu entered autorotation with low rotor RPM which accelerated the descent rate. The stu flared before touchdown but did not level the helo in time to land. The tailboom struck the gnd and the helo rotated on its side. The stu stated that the lndg site he had chosen consisted of sloping terrain. The stu stated that he flared and the tailboom struck the upsloping terrain. The stu stated that had he leveled off at the appropriate time he probably would have been successful. The eng insp revealed that the eng timing belt had slipped, effectively disabling the eng.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4891H
- Reported as
- Rotorway Executive
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3078
- Airframe hours
- 106
- Engine
- Rotorway RW-145, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harvey J. Jacquin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Washington, MO
- Destination
- Bland, MO
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 106 total · 106 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 6 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STL, 51 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.