Pilot Debrief

ROTORWAY JETEXEC near Arthur, KY — 2022-09-03

Final reportERA22FA397
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Date
2022-09-03
Location
Arthur, KY, USA
Aircraft
ROTORWAY JETEXEC
Registration
N162NH
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to attempt the cross-country flight in thunderstorm conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to obtain a weather briefing.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to obtain a weather briefing.

NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot was flying a cross-country flight in thunderstorms. The former owner of the helicopter, its new owner, stated they were worried about the weather and tried to talk the pilot into waiting 1 day until the weather improved, however, the pilot did not want to wait and subsequently departed for his home airport. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing and rising terrain led up to the area of the accident. The observations surrounding the time of the accident from the closest official weather station indicated visual flight rules to instrument flight rules conditions, with reflectivity data indicating that thunderstorms were present along the route and at the accident site at the time of the accident. Accordingly, the flight likely encountered reduced visibility and heavy rain while in thunderstorms as a result of the pilot’s decision to fly in thunderstorm conditions. Had the pilot obtained a weather briefing he likely would have had increased his awareness of the severity of the weather conditions along his route of flight and may have elected to delay the flight further until conditions improved.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
VFR into IMC
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have delayed departure due to poor weather conditions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 20 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents20

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