Gaskins SAFARI 400 N104CV

Summary

On 10 April 2019 at about 16:50 local time, a Gaskins SAFARI 400 registered N104CV was involved in an accident near Gallatin, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

10 April 2019 at 16:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Gallatin, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Sumner County Rgnl (XNX)

Coordinates

36.3750, -86.4083

Aircraft

Gaskins SAFARI 400

Registration

N104CV

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gallatin → Gallatin

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19CA147

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot/owner's improper decision to make a right turn instead of terminating the approach to a hover and his subsequent loss of helicopter control while attempting to land on sloping terrain, which resulted in a roll-over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was also the owner of the helicopter, stated that the helicopter was at or near its maximum allowable gross weight and required maximum engine power to hover in ground effect when he initiated the flight. After a short local flight, the pilot completed an approach to a parallel taxiway with the helicopter in ground effect. The pilot reported that, instead of terminating the approach to a hover, he performed a 180° pedal turn and initiated a teardrop-shaped turn to reverse course, which resulted in the loss of ground effect. As the helicopter turned right below the effective translational lift airspeed, the terrain sloped away from beneath the helicopter, and once in an out-of-ground effect, higher power-demand condition, the engine could not produce the necessary power to maintain full operating rpm. The helicopter then descended below the height of the taxiway. The pilot attempted to perform a landing on rough, sloping terrain, but the helicopter's right skid hit a mound of dirt, which resulted in a dynamic rollover, and it then came to rest on its side.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.