CircumFlightN899RT accident
NTSB ERA21LA016 · 2020-10-10 · Woodstock, CT · near C44
Docket — crew, injuries and powerplant
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was attempting to land the helicopter on a trailer when a gust of wind pushed the helicopter and the left skid got caught under the side of the trailer. The helicopter entered a dynamic rollover and impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, main rotor blades, tailboom and the tail rotor. The wind speed reported at an airport located about 14 nautical miles from the accident site was 11 knots with gusts up to 20 knots.
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter while attempting to land on a trailer in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a dynamic rollover. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident.
Circumstances
- Event type
- Accident
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Weather conditions
- Visual Meteorological Cond
- Light condition
- Day
- Sky condition
- NONE
- Ceiling (ft)
- 0
- Visibility (sm)
- 10
- Wind direction
- 200
- Wind speed (kt)
- 11
- Temperature (F)
- 73
- Nearest airport
- Toutant Airport
- Distance from field
- 0.0
- Airport elevation
- 771
Aircraft
| Registration | Make | Model | Damage | FAR part |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N899RT | — | — | SUBS | 091 |
Sequence of events
| # | Occurrence | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landing-flare/touchdown Roll over defining | Cruise |
Findings
| Finding | |
|---|---|
| Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot | cause |
| Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation | cause |