ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 41238
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| Date: | Saturday 12 October 1996 |
| Time: | 17:55 LT |
| Type: |  RotorWay Exec |
| Owner/operator: | William E. Cunningham |
| Registration: | N18WC |
| MSN: | WPC001 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 80 hours |
| Engine model: | Rotorway |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mather, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | (KMHR) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of a home built helicopter was attempting to drop an object (bag of flour) to a target on the ground. Approaching the target area, the helicopter was observed to maneuver, then it went out of control and crashed. Investigation revealed evidence that the main rotor blades contacted and severed the tailboom. Also, there was evidence of mast bumping. The helicopter was equipped with composite main rotor blades; kit/factory approved blades were made of metal. No mechanical malfunction was found.
Probable Cause: excessive maneuvering by the pilot, which allowed the main rotor blades to contact and sever the tail rotor system and allowed mast bumping to occur.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX97LA014
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 18:27 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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