Aurora PAV N83AU
4 June 2019 · Manassas, Virginia, United States · Unknown
Summary
On 4 June 2019 at about 11:19 local time, a Aurora PAV registered N83AU, operated by Aurora Flight Sciences, was involved in an accident near Manassas, Virginia, United States. The number of people on board was not recorded. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 11:19
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Manassas, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Manassas (KHEF)
- Coordinates
- 38.7219, -77.5178
- Aircraft
- Aurora PAV
- Registration
- N83AU
- Category
- Helicopter
- Operator
- Aurora Flight Sciences
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Flight Test
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Manassas → Manassas
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA19LA154
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not recorded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
a loss of hover lift thrust provided by the eight lift motors due to a false on-ground rotor speed reduction command, resulting from excessive vibration.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The aircraft experienced a vibrational excitation environment which exceeded the previously measured accelerations used to establish an autopilot ground-sensing threshold. The excessive oscillations activated the ground-sensing system, which transitioned the autopilot from Autoland into "ground" mode and commanded a reduction in rotor speed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 2019 | Cessna R172 | North Garden, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 May 2019 | Piper J3C | Louisa, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2019 | Airbus A320 | Charlottesville, Virginia, United States | Jetblue Airways | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2019 | Cirrus SR22 | Tappahannock, Virginia, United States | Trident Aircraft | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2019 | Skybolt SMITH SPECIAL SKYBOL | Stafford, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Dec 2019 | Piper PA18 | New Market, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |