Pilot Debrief

ROTORWAY DB-1 near Mayland, TN — 2012-12-13

Final reportERA13LA087
Sign in to save
Date
2012-12-13
Location
Mayland, TN, USA
Airport
TN56
Aircraft
ROTORWAY DB-1
Registration
N828X
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Hover

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control following a high-side governor failure for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was hover-taxiing an experimental amateur-built helicopter about 3 feet above ground level when the engine suddenly accelerated, and the helicopter started to gyrate violently. An engine power increase such as this is indicative of a high-side governor failure, which requires immediate reaction to maintain control of the helicopter. The pilot attempted to maintain control of the helicopter, but it began to drift to the left where his truck and trailer where parked. To avoid a collision with the truck, the pilot raised the collective to climb over the truck. Once clear of the truck, the pilot lowered the collective and landed on a downward slope. The helicopter impacted the ground with the right skid and rolled over on its left side, which resulted in the main rotor blades striking the ground. The pilot, who was also the owner/operator, had installed an aftermarket governor and had logged a total of 0.5 hour in the helicopter before the accident. The governor was examined and appeared to have been installed correctly. It could not be determined why the governor failed. The pilot had attended transition training for this helicopter, but it did not cover governor failures.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not notify FSDO about major change after installing the governor.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 11 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents11

Related mishaps