Rotorway 162F N888TD

Summary

On 20 July 2007 at about 16:00 local time, a Rotorway 162F registered N888TD was involved in an accident near Stratford, Oklahoma, United States. One person was 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

20 July 2007 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Stratford, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

34.7911, -96.9561

Aircraft

Rotorway 162F

Registration

N888TD

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stratford → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07LA167

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to a seized supercharger. 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 5,770-hour commercial pilot/owner/builder of the single-engine experimental helicopter was in cruise flight at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, at an estimated airspeed between 70 and 100 knots, when "the helicopter suddenly yawed to the right." The pilot immediately and simultaneously applied left torque pedal to stop the yaw, lowered the collective, and entered an autorotation into the wind, at an airspeed of 70 knots. The helicopter touched down in an "uneven" field, rolled over, and came to rest on its left side. The pilot added that there were no warnings prior to or during the loss of power. A review of photographs of the damaged helicopter revealed structural damage to the airframe. The pilot reported that he had a total of 10 gallons of fuel on board at the time he departed and there was a small fuel spill at the accident site. At the time of the accident, the helicopter had accrued a total of 60.6 hours. Examination of the engine by the pilot revealed that the supercharger had seized which accounted for the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.