Accident Details
On September 27, 2016, at about 1554 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Safari helicopter, registration N330JT, collided with trees and terrain during takeoff near Andover, New Hampshire. The pilot sustained serious injuries, and the helicopter was destroyed by a postcrash fire. The flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported pushing the helicopter from a barn onto a concrete pad, adding 10 gallons of 100 low lead fuel, and performing a preflight inspection with no discrepancies. After engine start in calm wind, he flew to a pasture 20 to 25 feet away, landed, and practiced hovering, rearward flight, and turns. He then repositioned the helicopter for takeoff toward the northwest, towards trees. He lifted to a 5-foot hover, noted 27 inches of manifold pressure, and initiated takeoff, accelerating to 25 to 30 mph. When above the treeline, the helicopter began a more vertical ascent than he could counteract with cyclic, with decreasing airspeed. He adjusted collective and applied forward cyclic, but the helicopter did not respond. Near the far end of the trees, the helicopter came to a complete stop with increased main rotor sound. It yawed right, the nose dropped, and the tail boom swung left, causing the helicopter to enter the trees. The pilot exited and was taken to a hospital.
Aircraft Examination
Examination of the accident site revealed the helicopter resting on its left side in a nose-low attitude against a small tree, extensively damaged by fire. The cockpit and engine/main rotor area were destroyed. The tail boom and tail rotor drive shaft were displaced downward. All components necessary for flight remained attached or nearby. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector found no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction, despite extensive heat damage. The inspector noted the pilot held a repairman certificate but that no permanent maintenance records or evidence of a condition inspection since the helicopter was built in 2004 were present. An FAA operations inspector reported the pilot did not hold a medical certificate and was teaching himself to fly.
Pilot Information
The pilot reported no physical condition contributed to the accident. He reported 154 hours total time in the accident make and model, with 144 hours as pilot-in-command. In the last 90 days, he accrued 2 hours in the accident helicopter. The pilot did not hold a rotorcraft-helicopter category and class rating.
Manufacturer Information
According to a manufacturer representative, unexpected collective movement could occur if either the collective spring or cable failed, leading to the introduction of a redundant system with a second spring and cable. The pilot reported no failure or malfunction of the cyclic or collective controls. The helicopter was equipped with redundant collective springs and cables, neither of which had failed. Both springs exhibited slight elongation compared with an exemplar helicopter.