Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Auburn Muni Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Auburn, California 95602
Thursday, April 10, 2003 17:30 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The helicopter impacted the ground at a high rate of descent during a local instructional flight. Some minutes prior to the accident, a witness on a farm about 3 miles from the accident site heard and observed the helicopter performing maneuvers consistent with multiple practice autorotations to a power recovery. The helicopter then flew off in the direction of the airport. Witnesses near the accident site observed the helicopter in level controlled flight about 500 feet above ground level flying in the direction of the airport. They observed the helicopter's nose drop and then it dove toward the ground and disappeared behind a tree line. These witnesses heard normal sounds coming from the engine. Ground scars and the wreckage exhibited evidence consistent with the helicopter colliding with the ground at a high rate of descent in a level upright attitude and rolling on its right side. The main rotor blades displayed evidence consistent with having flexed downward and slicing into the tail boom at a high rotational rate and a driven energy state. Other evidence in the drive train was consistent with engine rotation and power production. An airframe and engine inspection revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and functionality of the control system.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the misjudged flare maneuver by an unknown crewmember during a likely practice autorotation that resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/10/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1730 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | Auburn |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95602 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 385729N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1210400W |
| Event Location Airport | AUBURN MUNI |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | AUN |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0.75 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 1536 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1730 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 360 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | AUN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1536 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 3000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 14 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 120 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 10 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.02 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 20103 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 10 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1845 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 31 2006 10:47AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | WP-SAC-FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N16133 |
| NTSB Number | LAX03FA134 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Hughes |
| Aircraft Model | 269B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 180348 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2050 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 1 2003 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 6406.3 |
| Airframe Hours | 6406.3 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Heli-Fun, Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Grass Valley |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 95949 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | AUN |
| Departure City | Auburn |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1615 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | AUN |
| Destination City | Auburn |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 24 2006 5:14PM |
| User who most recently changed record | COOS |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |