Adams ROTORWAY EXEC-90 N8235W

Summary

On 13 June 1999 at about 13:30 local time, a Adams ROTORWAY EXEC-90 registered N8235W was involved in an accident near Evington, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 June 1999 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Evington, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.2300, -79.2795

Aircraft

Adams ROTORWAY EXEC-90

Registration

N8235W

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC99LA148

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for a run on landing. A factor was the dirt bank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was approaching to land in his homebuilt helicopter. He was applying maximum power, but did not have sufficient rotor RPM. In an attempt to increase RPM, he lowered the collective, causing the helicopter to undershoot the intended landing point. The pilot could not touchdown at this point, because the field was at a 9 to 10 degree slope angle. Additionally, he did not have enough rotor RPM to hover up-slope. He made a 180 degree turn and flew down-slope. After the turn, the forward momentum plus the 1 to 2 knot headwind slightly increased rotor RPM. However, the pilot still did not have enough power to hover. He decided to perform a slide-on landing. During the landing, the right skid struck a mound of dirt, causing the helicopter to roll left. The main rotor blades struck the ground and tailboom. On July 22, 1999, the engine was inspected and operated at the manufacturer's facility. No interruptions, abnormalities, or discrepancies were found. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 110.5 hours, which 98.5 hours were in the accident helicopter. He received his private pilot license on December 4, 1998.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.