Schulman MOSQUITO XEL UNREG

Summary

On 19 September 2010 at about 17:07 local time, a Schulman MOSQUITO XEL registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Halifax, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 September 2010 at 17:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Halifax, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

42.0250, -70.8381

Aircraft

Schulman MOSQUITO XEL

Registration

UNREG

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hanson → Hanson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA488

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of control while hovering. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s limited experience operating the helicopter make and model.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The ultralight helicopter was observed flying low over a lake and then hovering over a swamp area with trees. When the helicopter was hovering just above the trees, the tail section yawed left and right, followed by the main rotor blades tipping left and right. The helicopter then entered a spin and nosed over and impacted the trees. A postaccident examination did not reveal any evidence of failures of the helicopter or its components that would have prevented normal operations prior to impact. The pilot purchased the helicopter as a kit and constructed it at the manufacturer's facility with their assistance. Before it was completely built, the pilot departed the facility with the helicopter and declined to receive 10 hours of flight instruction offered by the kit manufacturer. The pilot had his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate revoked 3 years prior to the accident and did not hold a helicopter rating. However, the pilot may have had experience in another type of helicopter and may have accumulated about 12 hours of flight time in the accident helicopter prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.