Accident Details
On July 27, 2008, at approximately 1620 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Rotorway 162F helicopter, registration 412TS, was destroyed when it was consumed by a postcrash fire following a forced landing in Graysville, Tennessee. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, which departed a helipad on the pilot's property in Dayton, Tennessee. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Background
According to maintenance records, the pilot purchased the helicopter from the builder about six weeks before the accident. At the time of purchase, the helicopter had flown 42.6 hours; at the time of the accident, it had flown 57 hours.
Preflight and Departure
The pilot reported performing a detailed, "panels off" preflight inspection prior to the accident flight. He added 5 gallons of fuel and, after startup, performed a standard run-up and checks per the Rotorway checklist. He then lifted the helicopter into a hover, executed right and left 360-degree pedal turns, and performed sideways hovers. Because the helicopter was new, he landed, shut down, and conducted a second inspection that included belt tensions.
In-Flight Difficulties
The pilot restarted the helicopter, performed another run-up per the checklist, and departed the helipad, climbing to 1,500 feet indicated (about 600 feet above ground level). He flew straight for about 2 miles, then initiated a left turn. During the turn, he noted a low-frequency vibration and an unusual back pressure on the cyclic. As the helicopter came out of the turn, back pressure increased. At that time, indicated airspeed was 75 mph, and all gauges were "in the green." As the helicopter continued straight and level, back pressure continued to increase, requiring more forward cyclic to maintain airspeed and level flight.
Loss of Control
The pilot climbed to 1,750 feet and reversed course toward home. After completing the turn, the helicopter initiated a sudden and uncommanded nose-up attitude and rolled to the left. The helicopter became unresponsive to pilot inputs, continued rolling left, with the nose dropping so low that the pilot was looking at the ground. The helicopter continued a counterclockwise rotation, which the pilot was finally able to arrest using collective, throttle, and forcibly pulling and pushing the cyclic as needed.
Forced Landing and Postcrash Fire
The pilot performed a quasi-controllable and wobbly autorotation to the ground. He was able to touch down on the skids heading downslope on a hill with no forward or side motion. The helicopter then rolled over onto its right side. The pilot smelled fuel, which ignited as he exited through the broken windshield.
Examination
According to the on-scene Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, because the helicopter was so badly consumed by fire, a thorough examination was not possible.