<![CDATA[Rotorway Forums - Mechanical Failures and Accidents]]>

<![CDATA[Rotorway Forums - Mechanical Failures and Accidents]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/ Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:49:33 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[After market rotor blade blow up.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-151.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 18:09:52 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-151.html

]]>

]]> <![CDATA[Dynamic roll over.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-141.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:17:40 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-141.html [Image: 1000000047.png]

This solo student pilot was practice hovering when someone parked an equipment trailer behind him. When he turned and saw it he was startled and applied lateral cyclic without sufficient altitude, caught a skid on the ground with lateral travel and experienced a dynamic rollover with resulting fire. The student pilot was able to escape with no injuries. This is also a great lesson as to why we cover the heat wrap on the exhaust with heavy aluminum foil and SS zip ties to shed spilled oil away from the red hot exhaust.]]> [Image: 1000000047.png]

]]>

]]> <![CDATA[Autorotation into the trees.]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-137.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:30:17 -0500 Orv Neisingh]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-137.html
On the flight home he elected to take a short cut over a densely wooded area instead of flying around it as I had instructed. When the helicopter was about midway over the forest he heard a bang, felt a mechanical slap on the helicopter structure, and knew to immediately enter an autorotation. The problem is that he placed himself in an area where there was no good place to land. Jim kept his cool and flared into the top of the 75’ oak trees.

The helicopter settled into the tree tops and when the main rotors contacted the oak branches the helicopter inverted and tumbled to the ground. Jim and Mia his wife were securely strapped into the helicopter as it plummeted down through the trees inverted. A limb came through the upper windshield and through Jim’s thigh impaling him in the cabin where he could not move. The fuel pump inertia switches did their job and shut the fuel pumps off killing the engine so there was no fire.

Mia was able to crawl out of the wreckage and had to hike to a spot to get cell coverage. Once connected she called 911 and shortly the emergency crews began the process of extricating Jim. While in the hospital Jim called me and told me that his concern over his perfect paint job cost him his helicopter. He also told me that he should have followed my instruction to not fly over areas that you don’t want to land in.

Upon inspection we found the middle tail rotor belt had broken due to running it too loose. It would be exceptionally rare for a properly tensioned belt to break. Always check your belt tensions prior to flying your helicopter. The tail rotor belt tensions can change with temperature, especially with a dark panted tail boom.

]]>
On the flight home he elected to take a short cut over a densely wooded area instead of flying around it as I had instructed. When the helicopter was about midway over the forest he heard a bang, felt a mechanical slap on the helicopter structure, and knew to immediately enter an autorotation. The problem is that he placed himself in an area where there was no good place to land. Jim kept his cool and flared into the top of the 75’ oak trees.

The helicopter settled into the tree tops and when the main rotors contacted the oak branches the helicopter inverted and tumbled to the ground. Jim and Mia his wife were securely strapped into the helicopter as it plummeted down through the trees inverted. A limb came through the upper windshield and through Jim’s thigh impaling him in the cabin where he could not move. The fuel pump inertia switches did their job and shut the fuel pumps off killing the engine so there was no fire.

Mia was able to crawl out of the wreckage and had to hike to a spot to get cell coverage. Once connected she called 911 and shortly the emergency crews began the process of extricating Jim. While in the hospital Jim called me and told me that his concern over his perfect paint job cost him his helicopter. He also told me that he should have followed my instruction to not fly over areas that you don’t want to land in.

Upon inspection we found the middle tail rotor belt had broken due to running it too loose. It would be exceptionally rare for a properly tensioned belt to break. Always check your belt tensions prior to flying your helicopter. The tail rotor belt tensions can change with temperature, especially with a dark panted tail boom.

]]> <![CDATA[Tail Rotor belt failure]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-79.html Sun, 08 Feb 2026 16:05:57 -0600 Graeme Smith]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-79.html Just wondering if the Vee belt could be upgraded as there has been a lot of improvements in belt technology.
this came up in a google search as maybe a better belt for our application.optibelt SUPER XE-POWER PROHigh performance wedge belts - raw edge, moulded cogged]]> Just wondering if the Vee belt could be upgraded as there has been a lot of improvements in belt technology.
this came up in a google search as maybe a better belt for our application.optibelt SUPER XE-POWER PROHigh performance wedge belts - raw edge, moulded cogged]]> <![CDATA[PSA About a structural failure of my Horizontal Stabilizer]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-66.html Fri, 16 Jan 2026 19:53:01 -0600 Claude Parent]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-66.html I am attaching a few pictures of what I found still attached to the tail boom but the right side stab was gone and luckily fell off clear of the tail rotor.
My helicopter is an older Exec 90 converted to Jet Exec. I don't know how many total hours are on the helicopter. The failure happened after I completed a tail rotor balance and was doing a few circuits after the balancing. I looked at the building plans for the Exec 90, 162 and Talon and it looks like they are all the same as far as how the horizontal stab is built and attach the the tail boom. The drawings of all three versions show there's an outer and an inner tube and the inner tube is extended inside the outer tube and is attached with the two inboard, top and bottom rivets, the left side of the stabilizer has rivets that locks the inner and outer tubes together but the right side does not have these extra rivets. What happened to my ship is that metal fatigue got the best of the outside tube and broke but without the extra (inside the tail boom rivets) my right side stabilizer was free to tall right off the tail and luckily fell clear of the tail rotor. I am posting this as a PSA so this does not happen to anyone else. I will add this on my annual inspection list to check for cracks on the outside H stab at the first two inboard rivets. I have now added rivets to the right stab spar inside the tail boom so it is not possible for the stab to slide away should the outer tube fractures. I can't figure why the left side stab has rivets to lock the inner and outer tubes and the right side does not.
Any idea what happened here?

together but the right side does not ?????]]> I am attaching a few pictures of what I found still attached to the tail boom but the right side stab was gone and luckily fell off clear of the tail rotor.
My helicopter is an older Exec 90 converted to Jet Exec. I don't know how many total hours are on the helicopter. The failure happened after I completed a tail rotor balance and was doing a few circuits after the balancing. I looked at the building plans for the Exec 90, 162 and Talon and it looks like they are all the same as far as how the horizontal stab is built and attach the the tail boom. The drawings of all three versions show there's an outer and an inner tube and the inner tube is extended inside the outer tube and is attached with the two inboard, top and bottom rivets, the left side of the stabilizer has rivets that locks the inner and outer tubes together but the right side does not have these extra rivets. What happened to my ship is that metal fatigue got the best of the outside tube and broke but without the extra (inside the tail boom rivets) my right side stabilizer was free to tall right off the tail and luckily fell clear of the tail rotor. I am posting this as a PSA so this does not happen to anyone else. I will add this on my annual inspection list to check for cracks on the outside H stab at the first two inboard rivets. I have now added rivets to the right stab spar inside the tail boom so it is not possible for the stab to slide away should the outer tube fractures. I can't figure why the left side stab has rivets to lock the inner and outer tubes and the right side does not.
Any idea what happened here?

together but the right side does not ?????]]> <![CDATA[Need Rotorway Insurance?]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-60.html Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:12:45 -0600 Jared Hartzell]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-60.html

United States

Tom Crull:
Website: http://www.transportrisk.com/rotorwayinternational.html
Email: tcrull@transportrisk.com
Phone: (720) 208-0845 or (469) 892-6222

Wendy Wenk:
Website: https://www.wenkaviation.com/services.html
Phone: (847) 235-2491

Canada

Covalen:
Website: https://covalen.ca/en/aviation_insurance_options
Phone: (450) 662-2210]]>

United States

Canada

Covalen:
Website: https://covalen.ca/en/aviation_insurance_options
Phone: (450) 662-2210]]> <![CDATA[R22 Downwash]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-35.html Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:39:27 -0600 Jared Hartzell]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-35.html
]]>
]]> <![CDATA[Engine failure at 500 ft]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-34.html Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:31:43 -0600 Jared Hartzell]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-34.html
]]>
]]> <![CDATA[Dynamic Rollover]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-33.html Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:26:02 -0600 Jared Hartzell]]> https://rotorwayforums.com/thread-33.html
]]>
]]>