Rose Wesley ROTORWAY WR EXEC N6617L
18 April 1992 · Hudsonville, Michigan, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 April 1992 at about 19:00 local time, a Rose Wesley ROTORWAY WR EXEC registered N6617L, operated by Rose, Wesley A. SR., was involved in an accident near Hudsonville, Michigan, United States. 2 people were 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.
The record
- Date
- at 19:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Hudsonville, Michigan, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.8596, -85.8597
- Aircraft
- Rose Wesley ROTORWAY WR EXEC
- Registration
- N6617L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Rose, Wesley A. SR.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI92DEM01
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF AN INTAKE VALVE SPRING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE LOW ALTITUDE AT WHICH THE AUTOROTATION WAS INITIATED AND THE SOFT TERRAIN ON WHICH THE HELICOPTER WAS LANDED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE EXPERIMENTAL HELICOPTER WAS CLIMBING OUT FROM TAKEOFF WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. THE HELICOPTER WAS 40 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHEN THE PILOT HAD TO INITIATE A FORCED LANDING. AN AUTO ROTATION CONFIGURATION WAS ATTEMPTED BUT NOT FULLY ESTABLISHED DUE TO THE LOW INITIATING ALTITUDE. THE HELICOPTER LANDED ONTO A SOFT FIELD AND ROLLED OVER AFTER ITS SKIDS DUG INTO THE SURFACE. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION WAS CAUSED BY A BROKEN INTAKE VALVE SPRING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1992 | Piper PA-32RT-300T | Pullman, Michigan, United States | Weber, Tracy T. | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Feb 1992 | Beechcraft 95-BE55 | Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States | Stanley P. MacKlin | Fatal | 2 |
| 18 Jul 1992 | Cessna 172N | Lake Michigan, Michigan, United States | Battle Creek Air Service, Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 12 Sep 1992 | Cessna 150H | Manistee, Michigan, United States | H. Paul Miller | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Jan 1992 | Aerospatiale AS-355F1 | Lansing, Michigan, United States | Corporate Jets Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 19 Dec 1992 | Piper PA-24-180 | Gaylord, Michigan, United States | John C Myers & Clare R Colwell | Fatal | 2 |