Wallace ROTORWAY EXEC 152 N94LW

Summary

On 1 January 2001 at about 23:29 local time, a Wallace ROTORWAY EXEC 152 registered N94LW, operated by Anthony Colbert, was involved in an accident near Placerville, California, 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

1 January 2001 at 23:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Placerville, California, United States

Nearest airport

Private

Coordinates

38.7292, -120.8001

Aircraft

Wallace ROTORWAY EXEC 152

Registration

N94LW

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Anthony Colbert

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Placerville → Placerville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA068

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the student pilot to maintain adequate ground clearance while hovering.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot finished building the helicopter and this was its first flight. He had received 11 hours of flight instruction and was endorsed for hover only solo. The pilot reported that he was 1-2 feet in the air and as he began backing the helicopter the tail rotor guard struck the ground, the main rotor struck the tail boom, and the left skid struck the ground. The skid collapsed and the helicopter rolled over. After exiting, the pilot attempted to right the helicopter, but fuel leaking from the fuel cap ignited when it contacted the exhaust. The helicopter was destroyed in the subsequent fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.