Sundt Daniel N ROTORWAY EXEC 162-F N8286D

Summary

On 4 November 2008 at about 12:45 local time, a Sundt Daniel N ROTORWAY EXEC 162-F registered N8286D was involved in an accident near West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 November 2008 at 12:45

Classification

Accident

Location

West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Brandywine Airport (OQN)

Coordinates

39.9900, -75.5817

Aircraft

Sundt Daniel N ROTORWAY EXEC 162-F

Registration

N8286D

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Chester → West Chester

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA042

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate clearance above terrain while performing a pedal turn.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/builder of the amateur-built Rotorway Exec 162-F stated that while hovering the helicopter over a taxiway, he initiated a 180-degree left pedal turn. During the turn, the helicopter rolled right and impacted the ground on its right side. The helicopter had accumulated about 4 total flight hours since the pilot had completed building it. The pilot reported that he possessed about 2,000 total hours of flight experience, with 24 hours in rotorcraft (all of which were in the accident helicopter make and model). Additionally, the pilot also held a solo endorsement to fly the accident helicopter make and model. The pilot reported that there were no problems with the performance and handling of the helicopter. The pilot further stated that he believed he may have been hovering the helicopter closer to the ground than he had previously thought while performing the pedal turn, and that one of the skids may have impacted the pavement during the turn and initiated the rollover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.