Piper PA-20-135 N8290C

Summary

On 2 May 2024 at about 23:30 local time, a Piper PA-20-135 registered N8290C was involved in an accident near Georgetown, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and one 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

2 May 2024 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Georgetown, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Brown County (GEO)

Coordinates

38.8820, -83.8827

Aircraft

Piper PA-20-135

Registration

N8290C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1954

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA24LA212

1 person had minor injuries.

An inadvertent encounter with the rotor wash of a nearby hovering helicopter during landing, which resulted in a loss of control and a runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to return to his home airport and that there was a military helicopter and another small single engine airplane in the traffic pattern. While the pilot was landing, the military helicopter was in a hover on the ramp adjacent to the runway. The pilot reported that the airplane touched down normally and that he had positive control of the airplane during the initial landing rollout with all wheels on the ground. Once the airplane passed abeam the helicopter, the pilot described that the airplane “levitated” off the ground in a nose high attitude and began to turn to the right. The pilot attempted to regain control of the airplane, but it continued to the right and departed the runway surface. During the runway excursion, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, it is likely that during the landing roll, the airplane encountered the rotor wash of the hovering military helicopter that was adjacent to the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.