Pilot Debrief

MOSQUITO XE near Seffner, FL — 2019-11-02

Final reportERA20LA037
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Date
2019-11-02
Location
Seffner, FL, USA
Aircraft
MOSQUITO XE
Registration
UNREG
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter while landing, which resulted in a hard landing and dynamic rollover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of helicopter experience.

NTSB narrative

The pilot, who did not hold a helicopter rating, stated that when he was trying to land his single-seat, unregistered experimental helicopter, he landed too fast and the main rotor blade flexed and struck the tail before the helicopter rolled over. The pilot's neighbor stated that the pilot purchased the helicopter about 6 months before the accident, and he would practice taking off from her property, located behind his house. She said that the helicopter landed hard and began "bouncing around" before it flipped over and crashed. The pilot reported that the helicopter had accrued 16 hours at the time of the accident and that there were no mechanical deficiencies that contributed to the accident.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to practice landings in a safer manner.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents3

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