Callahan ROTORWAY EXEC 90 N4359N

Summary

On 4 July 2005 at about 15:45 local time, a Callahan ROTORWAY EXEC 90 registered N4359N was involved in an accident near Weston, West Virginia, 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

4 July 2005 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Weston, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Louis Bennett Field (49I)

Coordinates

39.0914, -80.4694

Aircraft

Callahan ROTORWAY EXEC 90

Registration

N4359N

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Horner → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD05CA092

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during an attempted power recovery. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain rotor rpm, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent post crash fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot began an autorotation maneuver at 800 feet above ground level (agl), and upon reaching 100 feet agl began to flare the helicopter. When the helicopter's forward speed had reduced to almost zero, the pilot leveled its pitch attitude, and applied full throttle and right anti-torque pedal. The helicopter turned to the right, and due to a perceived lack of torque, the pilot believed that the engine had experienced a loss of power. He applied left anti-torque pedal to straighten the helicopter, and decreased the collective pitch in order to increase rotor rpm. He then increased the collective pitch to cushion the landing, but the helicopter impacted the ground hard and the skids collapsed outward. A post crash fire ensued and consumed nearly the entire helicopter. When asked, the pilot could not recall any engine or rotor instrument indications during the autorotation, and could not recall if the engine was running when the helicopter impacted the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the engine or the airframe.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.