Guisinger Gary G BABY BELLE N135PA
12 September 2015 · Stuart, Iowa, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 12 September 2015 at about 16:30 local time, a Guisinger Gary G BABY BELLE registered N135PA was involved in an accident near Stuart, Iowa, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Stuart, Iowa, United States
- Coordinates
- 41.4969, -94.3275
- Aircraft
- Guisinger Gary G BABY BELLE
- Registration
- N135PA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2001
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Guthrie → Stuart
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN15LA412
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The failure of the tail rotor driveshaft for reasons that could not be determined due to the mechanically and thermally deformed fracture surface.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The private pilot was conducting a personal flight in the experimental, amateur-built helicopter. The pilot reported that, while he was maneuvering the helicopter about 400 ft above ground level, it yawed left, then suddenly "snapped" right, and then began spinning. The pilot attempted to regain control of the helicopter and was able to briefly stop the spin, but the spin then continued. The pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing to a cornfield, during which the helicopter impacted terrain and rolled over. Examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail rotor driveshaft had failed during the flight, which resulted in a loss of control. The fracture surface of the driveshaft was mechanically and thermally deformed, and the failure mode could not be established. The pilot's medical and flight review were not current; however, the pilot's actions were not a contributing factor in the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jul 2015 | Bell 47G 4A | Gilbert, Iowa, United States | Fly Right Heli LLC | No injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 2015 | Cessna 195A | Independence, Iowa, United States | Hedeman, Donald L. | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 2015 | Cessna 180B | Waterloo, Iowa, United States | Rickenbach Brothers Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 2015 | Piper PA 24 | Charles City, Iowa, United States | Celebrations Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 2015 | Quicksilver MXL II SPORT | Ute, Iowa, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 2015 | Erickson Larry D RAF 2000 GT | Humboldt, Iowa, United States | Erickson Larry D | Fatal | 1 |