Rotorway EXEC N314AC

Summary

On 11 October 2024 at about 20:50 local time, a Rotorway EXEC registered N314AC, operated by Rutherford Stephen M, was involved in an accident near Plymouth, Indiana, 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

11 October 2024 at 20:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Plymouth, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Plymouth Municipal (C65)

Coordinates

41.3651, -86.3003

Aircraft

Rotorway EXEC

Registration

N314AC

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Rutherford Stephen M

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plymouth → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA013

2 people had minor injuries.

A loss of control due to the failed forward tail rotor belt as a result of the owner’s failure to follow the helicopter manufacturer’s tail rotor belt replacement recommendations.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter owner/pilot reported that while he and his flight instructor were practicing an autorotation, the flight instructor heard a noise. Shortly thereafter, the helicopter started to yaw to the left and the airspeed decreased. The flight instructor took over control of the helicopter and initiated an autorotation to a corn field. The right skid caught the ground, and the helicopter rolled onto its right side. The main rotor and fuselage sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination revealed that the forward tail rotor belt broke. The belt was found frayed at the separation point. A review of the tail rotor maintenance records revealed that the tail rotor belts had not been replaced since 2006. The manufacturer recommends tail rotor belt replacement at 250 hours, 2 years, or as needed upon conditional inspections, whichever comes first. The operator reported that before the accident the belts appeared to be in satisfactory condition but acknowledged they were beyond the 2-year service life and should have been replaced.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.