Rogerson Hiller RH-1100 N6014U

Summary

On 11 September 2007 at about 18:00 local time, a Rogerson Hiller RH-1100 registered N6014U, operated by David A. Robinson, was involved in an accident near Stanwood, Washington, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 September 2007 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Stanwood, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Camano-Stanwood (13W)

Coordinates

48.2542, -122.4353

Aircraft

Rogerson Hiller RH-1100

Registration

N6014U

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

David A. Robinson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Burliington → Everett

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07CA256

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to execute a go-around and his failure to reduce his groundspeed to zero prior to touching down on the rough/uneven terrain. Factors include the momentary restriction of a flight control, rough/uneven terrain, and a tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While en route to his planned destination, the pilot noticed that one of two latches on the right side cabin door had come loose. He therefore elected to land in a grassy area alongside the runway of a nearby airstrip. While turning from base to final, the cyclic was momentarily restricted by being caught on the shorts of the passenger. Although the movement of the cyclic was only momentarily restricted, it resulted in the pilot delaying his transition to a slower airspeed and a reduced rate of descent prior to establishing a pre-landing hover. Instead of executing a go-around, the pilot decided to continue his transition, but he was unable to enter a hover prior to touching down with a slight forward movement on the rough uneven terrain. When the helicopter touched down, the left skid became stuck in a rut, and that, along with a slight tailwind and the residual forward movement of the helicopter, resulted in a dynamic rollover. In his written statement, the pilot said, "Making a go-around would have been the best way to prevent this accident."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.