ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 41175
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| Date: | Wednesday 16 April 1997 |
| Time: | 14:24 LT |
| Type: | Revolution Mini-500 |
| Owner/operator: | Douglas G. Duff |
| Registration: | N13118 |
| MSN: | |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9 hours |
| Engine model: | Rotax 582 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lihue, Kauai, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Anahola, HI |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A witness stated that the helicopter appeared to be about 500 feet agl and that he could hear a 'tick-tick-tick' sound as the aircraft started yawing to the left and right. The yawing motion was followed by a left roll to an inverted attitude from which the aircraft descended nose down to the ground and crashed. At the time that the roll began, the tail rotor and gearbox were observed to separate from the tail boom. Examination of the helicopter did not disclose any pre-accident engine, fuel system, or flight control system malfunctions or abnormalities. Black paint, the color of the tail boom, was evident on the leading edge of both main rotor blades, and four impact dents were found on the tail boom. Paint transfer indicated that the upper right-hand windshield had also been impacted by the main rotor blades. Review of the student pilot's flight records disclosed that he had obtained 12 hours of helicopter dual instruction in 1991, with only 1 hour listed for autorotations. No record of additional dual instruction was found between 1991 and the date of the accident.
Probable Cause: the student pilot's improper use of the helicopter flight controls, which resulted in rotor contact with the tail boom and loss of control. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's lack of total and recent training and experience in airborne control of helicopters.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX97LA150
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 05-Sep-2009 05:44 | harro | Updated |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 15:57 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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