- Date
- May 23, 2000, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Newport News, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9258HHeli-Eagle Ultrasport 496
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000523040609A
- Case key
- 49270
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 failure to maintain control of the helicopter.
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 performed one hover successfully, and set the helicopter down. During the second hover attempt, the helicopter spun to the right, and the skids contacted the ground. The helicopter 'rocked on its nose,' and the main rotor blades hit the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter. The winds reported at the airport were from 190 degrees, at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On May 23, 2000, about 1600 Eastern Daylight Time, a Heli-Eagle Ultrasport 496, N9258H, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while hovering at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), Newport News, Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local company flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, at 1400, he hovered the helicopter to the "Nike site," a grassy area at PHF. He performed two traffic patterns and then shut the helicopter down, because of a "fairly stiff wind." At 1600, the pilot returned to the "Nike site" to perform additional hover work. He performed the first hover successfully, and set the helicopter down. During the second hover attempt, the wind spun the helicopter to the right, and the skids contacted the ground. The helicopter "rocked on its nose," and the main rotor blades hit the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, who examined the helicopter after the accident, reported substantial damage to the main rotors, the tail rotor, and the "bubble" of the helicopter. Additionally, both skids were bent upward 90 degrees.
The winds reported at the airport, at 1548, were from 190 degrees, at 10 knots.
The pilot reported that he had accumulated about 4,500 hours of flight experience, all in helicopters, of which about 34 hours were in make and model. He also reported that during the 90 days previous to the accident, he had flown 11.3 hours, of which 1 hour was in make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9258H
- Reported as
- Heli-Eagle Ultrasport 496 (ULTRASPORT)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 00025
- Airframe hours
- 148
- Engine
- Hirth F30, 25 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Heli-Eagle Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 22, 2000 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- PHF
- Airport
- PHF · Newport News/Williamsburg
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 34 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.