Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
National Transportation Safety Board - Aviation Accident Data Summary: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
http://registry.faa.gov/N143PG
NTSB Identification: WPR13LA099
NTSB14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, January 22, 2013 in Mesa, AZ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/13/2014
Aircraft: GOETZ HELICYCLE, registration: N143PG
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight, the helicopter’s engine lost partial power. Because the helicopter was unable to maintain altitude, the pilot performed an autorotation to a residential street, and the helicopter landed hard. A witness reported that before the helicopter landed, it was oscillating and sounded as if the engine was cutting in and out. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the "B" wire, which runs between the electronic speed controller unit and the fuel controller actuator motor, had separated. The pilot further reported that he had installed the "B" wire without strain relief at the connector, which allowed the wire to disconnect from the fuel control system because of vibrations during normal flight operations. The pilot reported that this disconnection resulted in a loss of fuel controller actuator motor power, and the engine power decreased to flight idle.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to properly install and secure the wire connecting the electronic speed controller unit to the fuel controller actuator motor, which resulted in the wire’s disconnection in flight and the resultant partial loss of engine power.
On January 22, 2013, about 1400 mountain standard time, a Goetz Helicycle, N143PG, experienced a hard landing following an off airport autorotation about 4 miles southeast of Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The helicycle was registered to, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated from Chandler Municipal Airport (CHD), Chandler, Arizona.
The pilot reported that he had hovered the helicycle for about 15 minutes prior to a normal takeoff. During the flight, the engine suddenly lost partial power. The pilot initiated an emergency landing onto a residential road. A witness reported that his attention was first drawn to the helicycle when he heard an engine cutting in and out. Once the helicycle came into view, he noticed that it was also oscillating. The helicycle made a circle over his neighborhood before it initiated an autorotation to the ground. The helicycle landed hard and came to rest in a bush. During the accident sequence, the tailboom and tail rotor assembly were substantially damaged.
Post-accident examination of the airframe and engine by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the fuel controller actuator motor arm was in the minimum fuel position. The electronic speed controller unit was damaged and separated from the helicycle. Several of the wires from this system were pulled from their ring terminals, including the "B" wire, which runs to the fuel controller actuator motor. All of these wires showed signs of being mechanically pulled from the ring terminal with the exception of the "B" wire, which did not have the same rough and tension markings.
The pilot reported that the "B" wire had come loose at the connection while inflight. He further reported that when there is a loss of power to the fuel controller actuator motor the engine automatically goes to a minimum fuel stop position and flight idle. The pilot further reported that there were no parts failures, but that he had installed the "B" wire without an additional strain relief at the connector, which allowed the wire to disconnect from the system during normal operations.
The pilot reported that the accident can be prevented by installing a second parallel wire between the fuel controller actuator motor and the electronic speed controller unit.
NTSB Identification: WPR13LA099
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, January 22, 2013 in Mesa, AZ
Aircraft: GOETZ HELICYCLE, registration: N143PG
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On January 22, 2013, about 1400 Mountain standard time, a Goetz Helicycle, N143PG, experienced a hard landing following an off airport autorotation about 4 miles southeast of Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa Arizona. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor and tail rotor systems. The helicopter was registered to, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight destined for FFZ.
The pilot reported that while approaching FFZ, the helicopter’s engine started to oscillate rapidly. Unable to stop the oscillations, he entered an autorotation and landed hard on a residential street sidewalk. Subsequently, the main rotor and tail rotor systems were substantially damaged.
The helicopter has been removed from the scene for further investigation.
MESA, Ariz. - The pilot of a small experimental helicopter is okay after making an emergency landing in a Mesa neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, near Stapley and University.
The man was the only one inside the single-seat 2007 Helicycle and
made it out of the plane before Mesa firefighters arrived at the scene.
He was reportedly flying from Chandler to Falcon Field. It's unknown what caused the aircraft to go down.
No one on the ground was hurt, and the crash was witnessed by many people.
Firefighters say the pilot did a great job of avoiding homes and
vehicles in the area, and landed in a bush next to a sidewalk. The plane
is pretty much intact.
After the crash, the pilot was seen trying to disassemble the homemade plane so it could be removed from the sidewalk.
Story, photos, video: http://www.myfoxphoenix.com
