- Date
- March 5, 2002, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grove City, OH
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2128UBrantly Helicopter B-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20020305004769A
- Case key
- 54306
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees. A factor related to the accident was the gusting wind conditions.
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
As the helicopter lifted off of the portable landing pad, a gust of wind began to push the helicopter backwards towards a hangar. The pilot raised the collective and the helicopter rose above the hangar; however, it continued in a rearward direction until the main rotor blades struck a tree. The pilot "rolled off" the power, and the helicopter began to descend to the ground. During the decent, the landing skid caught a vine, which rolled the helicopter inverted before it impacted the ground. The wind reported at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, were from 220 degrees at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On March 5, 2002, about 1700 eastern standard time, a Brantly Helicopter B-2, N2128U, was substantially damaged while hovering at a private helipad near Grove City, Ohio. The certificated private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the maintenance test flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he had just completed routine maintenance on the helicopter, and decided to perform a maintenance test flight. The helicopter was rolled out from the hangar on a portable landing pad, and the pilot started the engine. As the helicopter lifted off of the portable landing pad, a gust of wind began to push the helicopter backwards towards the hangar. The pilot raised the collective and the helicopter rose above the hangar; however, it continued in a rearward direction until the main rotor blades struck a tree. The pilot "rolled off" the power, and the helicopter began to descend to the ground. During the decent, the landing skid caught a vine, which rolled the helicopter inverted before it impacted the ground.
The pilot reported 300 hours of total flight experience in helicopters, of which 10 hours were in the same make and model as the accident helicopter.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any.
The wind reported at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, were from 220 degrees at 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2128U
- Reported as
- Brantly Helicopter B-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 176
- Airframe hours
- 580
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lowell Newsome
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 2, 2002 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Grove City, OH
- Destination
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 51
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- October 18, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,800 total · 10 in this make and model · 4,800 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- CMH, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 15, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 392 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.