Froberg ROTORWAY EXECUTIVE N71RF

Summary

On 13 April 1998 at about 23:45 local time, a Froberg ROTORWAY EXECUTIVE registered N71RF, operated by John T. Spurling, was involved in an accident near Sand Springs, Oklahoma, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 April 1998 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Sand Springs, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

36.1296, -96.1294

Aircraft

Froberg ROTORWAY EXECUTIVE

Registration

N71RF

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

John T. Spurling

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Port → Sand Springs

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA182

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the owner/pilot to complete maintenance on the helicopter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was flying the Froberg Rotorway Executive experimental helicopter to the William R. Pogue Municipal Airport, Sand Springs, Oklahoma, for fuel. Approximately 6 minutes after takeoff, the pilot observed smoke entering the cockpit from the right side and noted a loss of oil pressure. He executed an autorotation to a field of tall dry grass and exited the helicopter. After exiting the aircraft, the pilot observed a fire underneath the helicopter. The aircraft was then consumed by the fire within a few minutes. The pilot reported to the FAA inspector that 'there was an oil leak and oil was dripping on the exhaust pipe.' The pilot had purchased the helicopter about a year prior to the accident. He had flown the aircraft about 30 hours since purchasing it and had not registered it. No maintenance had been performed on the helicopter in the last 20 hours.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.