Cooke ROTORWAY EXEC N319RC

Summary

On 15 May 2004 at about 21:22 local time, a Cooke ROTORWAY EXEC registered N319RC was involved in an accident near Willis, Texas, 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

15 May 2004 at 21:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Willis, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.3519, -95.4144

Aircraft

Cooke ROTORWAY EXEC

Registration

N319RC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Willis → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04LA131

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power due to the failure of the #1 cylinder valve retainer clip. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 3,200-hour pilot reported that as he lifted the helicopter up to a hover from a boat dock, he started to move the helicopter over the water. Subsequently, the pilot heard a ratcheting sound followed by a partial loss of engine power. The right landing skid and the main rotor blades contacted the dock, and the helicopter came to rest upright in about 4-feet of water, adjacent to the dock. Examination of the engine revealed that the #1 cylinder exhaust valve keeper retaining clip has disengaged. The pilot stated that he had recently sent the #1 cylinder out for maintenance and reinstalled the cylinder approximately 10 hours prior to the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.