Deussen Alexander Ii ROTORWAY EXEC N5436X

Summary

On 5 November 2005 at about 20:40 local time, a Deussen Alexander Ii ROTORWAY EXEC registered N5436X, operated by Frankie Gilbert, was involved in an accident near Gibson, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 November 2005 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Gibson, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

29.6292, -90.9458

Aircraft

Deussen Alexander Ii ROTORWAY EXEC

Registration

N5436X

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Frankie Gilbert

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gibson → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW06CA020

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 2,000-hour commercial pilot was performing initial hover test flights in a homebuilt helicopter he had recently acquired for parts. The pilot reported that approximately 30-minutes into the first test flight, the liquid cooled engine began to overheat. The pilot added that he elected to land and shut the engine down to investigate. He observed water leaking from a hose clamp on the engine cooling system. He tightened the clamp and waited for the engine to cool down. After checking for leaks, the pilot elected to continue with the test flight. After another 20-minutes of additional hovering, the pilot proceeded to stay in a traffic pattern to perform takeoffs and landings. While in the traffic pattern at his 200 acre ranch, the pilot neglected to monitor the engine instruments and while on the fifth approach, while the helicopter was at about 300 feet agl, the engine lost power. The pilot initiated an autorotation; however the helicopter was unable to clear a tree line, and the main rotor blades collided with a tree. The helicopter impacted the ground hard, coming to rest against a tree. At the time of the accident, the pilot estimated that the winds were from 150 degrees at 10 knots. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.