Randy Stanley ROTOWAY EXC 162F N494D

Summary

On 29 March 2007 at about 14:10 local time, a Randy Stanley ROTOWAY EXC 162F registered N494D was involved in an accident near Foley, Alabama, United States. 2 people were 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

29 March 2007 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Foley, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Foley Municipal Airport (5R4)

Coordinates

30.4278, -87.7006

Aircraft

Randy Stanley ROTOWAY EXC 162F

Registration

N494D

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Foley → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL07LA063

Nobody was injured.

Loss of engine power due to failure of the No. 4 engine exhaust valve.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), the purpose of the flight was for the student to practice approaches and departures. They used a parallel taxiway for takeoff. The student pilot was at the controls and began a normal takeoff. When they were about 250 feet above ground level (agl) on initial climb out the engine started backfiring and the helicopter began yawing left and right. The CFI immediately took the controls as the engine RPM started to decay. He entered an autorotation and reduced the engine RPM to reduce the yawing from the engine backfiring. At about 40 feet agl he flared the helicopter to stop the descent and slow the forward airspeed. He leveled the helicopter and they settled to the surface and were sliding forward when the front skids snagged the grass and the helicopter nosed over coming to rest on the right side. The CFI and student pilot escaped without injury. Examination of the helicopter by an FAA Inspector, found the helicopter resting on its right side with substantial damage to the main rotor blades, windscreen and the tail boom. Further examination of the engine found the engines No. 4 exhaust valve stuck in the valve guide with the rocker arm out of position.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.