Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Salters, South Carolina 29590
Thursday, December 25, 2008 14:50 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot stated that while maneuvering at 800 feet above ground level, the homebuilt helicopter pitched up and slowed to 40 knots. He entered autorotation and the helicopter impacted the ground. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the end cap of the main rotor blade was missing. The inspector attributed the separation to excessive blade bowing due to taking off above maximum gross weight, resulting in a shift in the rotor blades center of gravity. The inspector also stated that the change of the blade's center of gravity created or aggravated the main rotor blades' twisting and balance reactance to such a level that the end cap of the red blade detached from the blade. This blade cap departure created an imbalance of the rotor blade that led to an out of balance and track condition of the main rotor resulting in a pitch up of the aircraft and loss of longitudinal control. Review of the helicopter logbook revealed the condition inspection was 8 months past the required 12-month inspection interval.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
A hard landing following an autorotation that resulted from the separation of the red main rotor blade cap that led to the uncontrolled movement of the cyclic, autorotation and a hard landing.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/25/2008 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1450 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | Salters |
| Event State | SOUTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 29590 |
| Event Date Year | 2008 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 333008N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0795633W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1455 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 20 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CKI |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 67 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 15 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 5000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2700 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 17 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 280 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 25224 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Southern Region C-ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 20 2009 2:51PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N75EW |
| NTSB Number | ERA09LA107 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | MOORE DAVID |
| Aircraft Model | DM-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1957 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1650 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | 1 |
| 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 | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MOORE DAVID L |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 180 Cessna Drive |
| Aircraft Owner City | TRENTON |
| Aircraft Owner State | SC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 29847-3600 |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | Dargan D Haddock |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1397 Gourdin Road |
| Operator City | Salters |
| Operator State | SC |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 29590 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | CKI |
| Departure City | Kingstree |
| Departure State | SC |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1400 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | NONE |
| Destination City | Salters |
| Destination State | SC |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 20 2009 2:51PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |