Goetz HELICYCLE N143PG

Summary

On 22 January 2013 at about 21:00 local time, a Goetz HELICYCLE registered N143PG, operated by Goetz JOE, was involved in an accident near Mesa, Arizona, 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

22 January 2013 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Falcon Field Airport (FFZ)

Coordinates

33.4564, -111.7236

Aircraft

Goetz HELICYCLE

Registration

N143PG

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Goetz JOE

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chandler → Mesa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA099

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to properly install and secure the wire connecting the electronic speed controller unit to the fuel controller actuator motor, which resulted in the wire’s disconnection in flight and the resultant partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while in cruise flight the helicycle's engine lost partial power. Unable to maintain altitude he maneuvered to find a safe landing area, and autorotated onto a residential street. A witness reported that before the helicycle landed, it was oscillating and sounded as if the engine was cutting in and out. Postaccident examination of the helicycle revealed that the "B" wire, which runs between the electronic speed controller unit and fuel controller actuator motor, separated from the connection during cruise flight. The pilot reported that if the fuel controller actuator motor loses power, the engine would automatically go to a minimum fuel stop position and flight idle. The pilot further reported that there were no parts failures, but that he had installed the "B" wire without an additional strain relief at the connector, which allowed the wire to disconnect from the system during normal operations. The pilot reported that the accident can be prevented by installing a second parallel wire between the fuel controller actuator motor and the electronic speed controller unit.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.