- Date
- June 16, 2006, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Brookhaven, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N549ABRotorway 162-F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Farmingdale
- FAA report
- 20060616031259A
- Case key
- 64061
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 student pilot inadvertently allowing the skids to contact the ground resulting in dynamic rollover.
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 of an experimental Rotorway 162-F was practicing hovering when the left skid of the helicopter made contact with the helipad, the helicopter rolled to the left, and the main rotor blades struck the ground. The student pilot stated that "I was hovering at about 2 inches which had the skids too close to the ground for my ability." At 1256 EDT, 26 minutes after the accident, the reported wind on the field was 310 degrees at 9 knots.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot of an experimental Rotorway 162-F was practicing hovering when the left skid of the helicopter made contact with the helipad, the helicopter rolled to the left, and the main rotor blades struck the ground. The student pilot stated that "I was hovering at about 2 inches which had the skids too close to the ground for my ability." At 1256 EDT, 26 minutes after the accident, the reported wind on the field was 310 degrees at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N549AB
- Reported as
- Rotorway 162-F
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6723
- Airframe hours
- 9
- Engine
- Rotorway RI 162F, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 1, 2006 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- KHWV · Brookhaven, NY
- Destination
- KHWV · Brookhaven, NY
- Airport
- KHWV · Brookhaven Airport
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2005
- Flight hours
- 166 total · 12 in this make and model · 98 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- KHWV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.