York Ronald J ROTORWAY 162F N162RY

Summary

On 5 June 2009 at about 16:10 local time, a York Ronald J ROTORWAY 162F registered N162RY was involved in an accident near Berlin, Vermont, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 June 2009 at 16:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Berlin, Vermont, United States

Nearest airport

Edward F Knapp (MPV)

Coordinates

44.2033, -72.5622

Aircraft

York Ronald J ROTORWAY 162F

Registration

N162RY

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Berlin → Berlin

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA323

1 person died.

A loss of control in flight for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The experimental amateur-built helicopter was approaching an airport when witnesses heard a “pop noise” and saw it nose down, “straight into the ground.” The main wreckage was located about 360 feet from a treeline. There were no skid marks and no evidence of tree impact. The majority of the helicopter was consumed in a postcrash fire, which precluded a thorough examination. Debris from the aircraft was located about 1/2-mile from the accident site, on what would have been a left base to the runway. Additional items, including cabin door plexiglass material and a piece of horizontal stabilizer fin, extended aft of the impact site about 320 feet. The main rotor system was collapsed downward, and the swashplate assembly and flight control system were destroyed. The main rotor blades exhibited fire damage, and appeared to have “very little” impact damage, with no notable damage to the leading edges. The tail boom was melted from the fuselage attach point to 2 to 3 feet forward of the tail rotor gearbox, which was rotated without binding. The tail rotor blades were broken near their bases, and one blade was impaled in the ground. A postmortem examination of the pilot, who was also the builder, did not reveal any preaccident medical anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.