Carriere RW-152 SCORPION II N838MC

Summary

On 19 October 2002 at about 19:20 local time, a Carriere RW-152 SCORPION II registered N838MC was involved in an accident near Opelousas, Louisiana, United States. One person was 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.

Date

19 October 2002 at 19:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Opelousas, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

30.5583, -92.0992

Aircraft

Carriere RW-152 SCORPION II

Registration

N838MC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Opelousas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA018

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind resulting in a loss of control. A contributing factor was the gusting wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A homebuilt helicopter was substantially damaged upon impact with terrain following a loss of control while landing. The purpose of the flight was to conduct a maintenance test flight to verify the balance and tracking of the main rotor system after lead/lag adjustments were made. The student pilot stated that upon return from the successful flight, he lost control of the aircraft after encountering a gust of wind. The helicopter spun approximately 20 times to the right, and the rotor blades contacted the ground. The pilot stated that the wind direction was 180 degrees and the wind speed was 35 knots at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.