- Date
- March 9, 2008, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cartersville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N831MSRotorway 162F
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080309836509A
- Case key
- 67656
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 owner/builder's improper installation of the foot pedal scissor beam, which resulted in its failure during hover flight.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The owner/builder of the Rotorway 162F was performing pedal turns while conducting initial flight tests. During a turn the left pedal "popped" and "fell away." He immediately dropped the collective and landed hard, causing significant damage to the tail boom. He inspected the helicopter and discovered the foot pedal scissor beam had pulled away from its retaining bolt. The scissor beam was designed to be sandwiched between two nylon pivot bushings, and retained by an aluminum bushing and bolt. During the construction phase he inadvertently mounted the aluminum bushing on the inside of the scissor beam, allowing the beam to be pulled past the mounting bolt when pressure was applied.
Factual narrative
The owner/builder of the Rotorway 162F was performing pedal turns while conducting initial flight tests. During a turn the left pedal "popped" and "fell away." He immediately dropped the collective and landed hard, causing significant damage to the tail boom. He inspected the helicopter and discovered the foot pedal scissor beam had pulled away from its retaining bolt. The scissor beam was designed to be sandwiched between two nylon pivot bushings, and retained by an aluminum bushing and bolt. During the construction phase he inadvertently mounted the aluminum bushing on the inside of the scissor beam, allowing the beam to be pulled past the mounting bolt when pressure was applied.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N831MS
- Reported as
- Rotorway 162F
- Category
- Helicopter, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6887
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Rotorway RI162F, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert M. Seymour
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 1, 2008 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- VPC · Cartersville, GA
- Airport
- VPC · Cartersville
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 275 total · 10 in this make and model · 165 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.36 inHg
- Observed at
- VPC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N831MS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.