Peter W Stevens BEARHAWK PATROL N123WW

Summary

On 8 March 2014 at about 19:30 local time, a Peter W Stevens BEARHAWK PATROL registered N123WW, operated by Stevens Peter W, was involved in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, 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

8 March 2014 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

South Valley Regional (U42)

Coordinates

40.6194, -111.9928

Aircraft

Peter W Stevens BEARHAWK PATROL

Registration

N123WW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Stevens Peter W

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bountiful → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA133

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane slowed to about 10 to 15 mph as it came abeam four helicopters on a taxiway. The pilot further reported that the airplane's left side encountered a sudden blast of air and that the left wing lifted; he attributed the blast of air to rotor wash from the helicopters. The airplane spun hard to the right, exited the runway into a dirt area, and then stopped facing 180 degrees in the opposite direction. The left wing tip struck the ground during the excursion and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The four pilots in the helicopters on the taxiway were conducting engine health indicator test checks using 30 percent power with two engines operating and 60 percent power with one engine operating, which was about half the power needed to hover. Federal Aviation Administration guidance advised pilots of small aircraft operating around helicopters to avoid operating within about three times the diameter of the helicopters' main rotor blades. The distance between the airplane and the helicopters when the airplane passed them abeam was calculated to be about 400 ft, which was over six diameters away; therefore, helicopter rotor wash likely did not contribute to the pilot's loss of directional control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.