Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Fall River Muni Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Fall River, Massachusetts 02720
Thursday, September 2, 1993 8:30 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AS THE PILOT WAS FLARING TO LAND, THE ROTOR CONTROL ARM (CONTROL STICK) FAILED AT A LOCATION JUST ABOVE THE PILOT'S HEAD. THE GYROCOPTER THEN ROLLED OVER AND CRASHED. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THE CONTROL ARM HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE. THE FATIGUE ORIGINATED WHERE THE CONTROL ARM HAD BEEN CHAFED BY A LOOSE CLAMP.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE GYROCOPTER'S MAIN ROTOR CONTROL ARM. fACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: A LOOSE CLAMP ON THE ROTOR CONTROL ARM, DUE TO INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE OR INSPECTION, WHICH RESULTED IN CHAFING OF THE CONTROL ARM.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/2/1993 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 830 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | FALL RIVER |
| Event State | MASSACHUSETTS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 02720 |
| Event Date Year | 1993 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | FALL RIVER MUNI |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | FLR |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 193 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 100 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 60 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | FAA |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1025 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 2 1993 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1045 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 1:38PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8447 |
| NTSB Number | BFO93LA149 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | LACH |
| Aircraft Model | BENSEN B-8M |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | BENSEN B-8 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1122 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 580 |
| Aircraft Category | Gyrocraft |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 9 1993 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 5 |
| Airframe Hours | 617 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WALTER LACH |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 140 ESSEX STREET |
| Aircraft Owner City | FALL RIVER |
| Aircraft Owner State | MA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 02720 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | WALTER LACH |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 140 ESSEX STREET |
| Operator City | FALL RIVER |
| Operator State | MA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 02720 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 6 |
| Runway Length | 3950 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |