Leza Lockwood AIR CAM N125AC

Summary

On 10 February 2010 at about 00:33 local time, a Leza Lockwood AIR CAM registered N125AC, operated by Gerhardt C Soeffker, was involved in an accident near Everett, Washington, 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

10 February 2010 at 00:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Everett, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Paine Field (PAE)

Coordinates

47.9569, -122.2814

Aircraft

Leza Lockwood AIR CAM

Registration

N125AC

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Gerhardt C Soeffker

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Everett → Everett

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10CA132

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertent encounter with the rotor downwash from a hovering heavy-lift helicopter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot taxied the ultralight airplane west between two rows of hangars up to the boundary of the non-movement area before stopping to contact ground control. At this time an Army Chinook helicopter made an approach to runway 34R before entering a hover over the runway in front of the pilot at an altitude estimated to be from 75 to 100 feet above ground level. As the helicopter descended to about 20 to 30 feet above ground level, the rotor wash from the helicopter picked the airplane up off the ground and blew it backwards and to the right. The airplane subsequently dropped to the ground on its right wingtip, coming to rest upright about 25 to 30 feet from where it was originally positioned. The airplane sustained damage to its right wing, including the flap and aileron, and the right main landing gear.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.