Advanced Technology ULTRA SPORT 254 N254AS

Summary

On 20 February 1996 at about 15:40 local time, a Advanced Technology ULTRA SPORT 254 registered N254AS was involved in an accident near West Point, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 February 1996 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

West Point, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

West Point Municipal (W97)

Coordinates

37.5506, -76.7999

Aircraft

Advanced Technology ULTRA SPORT 254

Registration

N254AS

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD96LA045

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during low altitude flight/maneuvering, which resulted in the helicopter impacting terrain. A related factor was the pilot's lack of flight experience in the make and model of helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to a witness, the helicopter was hovering backward at a pace he described as '...a brisk walk...[then it stopped its rearward flight and] pitched the nose down to transition to forward flight.' The aircraft continued to pitch over into a progressively steeper nose down attitude, and descended into the terrain. The pilot stated that he '...initially applied forward cyclic and positive collective in order to fly through translational lift and enter stable forward flight...I realized I had no control in the forward longitudinal axis...impacted the ground approximately two seconds after the uncommanded pitch acceleration. Postaccident examination of the helicopter and videotaped evidence of the accident did not revealed a preimpact malfunction or anomaly. The pilot reported that he had 3,554 hours total flight time, including 2,032 hours in rotorcraft/helicopter. The pilot indicated that he had 2.2 hours in the accident make and model aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.