Accident Overview
On June 5, 2009, about 1210 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Rotorway 162F helicopter, N162RY, was destroyed in a post-crash fire after impacting terrain while approaching Edward F. Knapp State Airport (MPV) in Berlin, Vermont. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Witness Accounts
A witness observing from a building rear door saw the helicopter traveling southwest toward the airport with the engine sounding strong, then heard a "pop noise" and saw the helicopter nose down straight into the ground. Another witness at a yard sale saw the helicopter heading for the airport, heard a "big pop," then saw it descending; he proceeded to the scene and found the helicopter in flames. A third witness outside her office heard a "strange noise" and saw a small helicopter pitching nose down, then crash beyond trees. A fourth witness driving northwest of the airport saw "something fall from the sky"—metallic, long, and skinny, 10 to 20 feet in length—but subsequent searches did not yield matching items. An investigator from the Vermont Agency of Transportation reported that what appeared to be aircraft body parts were found about half a mile from the accident site, on what would have been a left base for runway 17.
Wreckage and Impact
The helicopter impacted the ground about 900 feet from the approach end of runway 17 and 360 feet beyond a tree line, with no evidence of tree strikes near the site. No ground scars indicated skidding or sliding after impact. Debris, including cabin door plexiglass and a piece of the horizontal stabilator, was located about 40 feet beyond the tree line. Additional debris was found 50 to 60 feet forward and 30 to 40 feet to the right of the main wreckage. A post-crash fire consumed the composite fuselage and most of the aluminum tail boom. The main rotor system collapsed downward; the swashplate assembly and flight control system were destroyed. Main rotor blades exhibited fire damage and had very little impact damage, with no notable leading-edge damage. The tail boom melted from the fuselage attach point to 2–3 feet forward of the tail rotor gearbox, which turned freely. Tail rotor blades were broken near their bases, with one blade impaled in the ground. Pieces of the tail rotor drive belt were visible in the gearbox area; engine drive belts were mostly melted. No evidence of a melted or burned main rotor drive belt was found, though it could have been consumed in the fire. The engine and main rotor gearbox were extensively fire damaged. The helicopter had two FADECs (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) with recording capability, but fire damage precluded locating either unit.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot, age 63, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument airplane. On his latest FAA third-class medical certificate application, dated December 6, 2008, he indicated 1,550 hours of flight time. He also held a "repairman experimental aircraft builder" certificate for the helicopter. According to the aircraft logbook, the pilot performed the latest conditional inspection on January 2, 2009, at a time in service of 147.8 hours. A postmortem examination conducted by the Vermont State Department of Health determined the cause of death as "blunt impacts of head, torso and extremities." Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team found no anomalies. Weather recorded at the airport at 1151 included clear skies and winds from 180 degrees true at 8 knots.