Louis Edmondson 162F N162LE
19 January 2002 · St. Petersburg, Florida, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 19 January 2002 at about 20:05 local time, a Louis Edmondson 162F registered N162LE, operated by William Patrick Trefny, was involved in an accident near St. Petersburg, Florida, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Alber Whitted (SPG)
- Coordinates
- 27.7650, -82.6269
- Aircraft
- Louis Edmondson 162F
- Registration
- N162LE
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- William Patrick Trefny
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- St. Petersburg → St. Petersburg
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL02LA042
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue flight with demonstrated inadequate takeoff performance capability, which resulted in an in-flight loss of control and subsequent hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
This was the second attempted liftoff after a previous unsuccessful attempt and subsequent shutdown and check of the helicopter's drive belts. The pilot noticed the helicopter again required "a lot of power." At 10 to 15 feet above the ground, the main rotor rpm dropped. The pilot increased engine power, but the rotor rpm continued to decay. The pilot aborted the takeoff, and the helicopter touched down hard on the right skid. Examination of the helicopter revealed damage to the right front skid, damage to the main rotor system, and separation of the tail boom assembly. The density altitude was estimated to have been 1140 feet at the approximate departure time. The helicopter gross weight is 1500 pounds and the useful load was 425 pounds. Examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2002 | Cessna 182Q | Orlando, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2002 | Agusta A119 | Okeechobee, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2002 | Cessna 172P | Lutz, Florida, United States | Troy Mason Heidel | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Beagle B-206 SERIES 2 | McAlpin, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Jan 2002 | Mooney M20J | Lake Placid, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2002 | Piper PA-46-310P | Osteen, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |