Bihn MINI 500 N727EB
19 December 1997 · Gettysburg, Ohio, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 19 December 1997 at about 19:50 local time, a Bihn MINI 500 registered N727EB was involved in an accident near Gettysburg, Ohio, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gettysburg, Ohio, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.1193, -84.5009
- Aircraft
- Bihn MINI 500
- Registration
- N727EB
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Phillipsburg → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC98LA049
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, followed by the main rotor striking the tailboom, which resulted in the separation of a main rotor blade.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The homebuilt Mini 500 helicopter was in level flight about 900 to 1200 feet, when the engine sounds stopped. The helicopter's nose dropped, and one main rotor blade struck the tailboom and separated from the rotor head. The helicopter descended and struck the ground 90 degrees nose down. Examination of the non-certificated 2 cycle Rotax engine did not reveal a reason for the power loss. The engine manufacturer published the maximum continuous RPM as 6,500. Other builders reported that when the helicopter's rotor RPM was operated at the top of the green arc, the engine operated about 6,700 RPM. The NTSB database revealed 23 Mini-500 accidents in 1997 and 1998. Twelve of those involved a loss of engine power. The Rotax operator's manual stated, '...This engine by design is subject to sudden stoppage...Never fly the aircraft equipped with this engine at locations, airspeeds, altitudes...from which a successful no-power landing cannot be made...'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1997 | Piper J3C-65 | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 1997 | Piper PA-24-250 | Bowling Green, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1997 | Cessna 172 | Middletown, Ohio, United States | Barbara F. Schmidt | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1997 | Marsh-Turner BG-12A | Marion, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Apr 1997 | Cessna 177 | Lancaster, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 May 1997 | Pitts S1C | Salem, Ohio, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |