Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162F accident near Haines, Alaska, October 29, 1996
On October 29, 1996 at about 11:37 am local time, a amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162F (helicopter), registered N711KN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Haines, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a leaking coolant hose that saturated the induction air filter and one electronic ignition system with coolant. Unsuitable terrain for a forced landing was a related factor in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1996 · about 11:37 am local time
- Place
- Haines, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162F ROTORWAY E
- Registration
- N711KN · registry record · serial 6072
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private airplane pilot, the sole occupant & holder of a solo endorsement for helicopters, was beginning a cross-country flight in an experimental homebuilt helicopter. After takeoff, he heard a sharp bang & observed smoke in the cockpit. He declared an emergency, entered an autorotation, & selected an emergency landing area on a beach, but the area was covered with large boulders. During the flare & landing, the engine responded momentarily, when the pilot raised the collective pitch control, but the engine did not have sufficient power to hover. The helicopter sustained damage to the landing gear skids, the tail rotor, & the tail boom structure adjacent to the tail rotor assembly. An exam revealed the engine compartment was coated with engine coolant. The air intake filter was saturated with coolant, & 1 electronic ignition system was rendered inoperative from coolant saturation. A pressure test of the coolant system revealed a leak & spraying of coolant from a coolant pump manifold fitting. The pilot indicated the fitting had a rubber hose attached by a clamp, & coolant was leaking at the attach point. Also, he said the hose had been installed with excessive tension at the fitting due to it being 1/2 inch too short. He had accrued 47 hrs in helicopters.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 340 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 236 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 1996; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 162F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HNS AK at 11:30 am
- Destination: JNU Juneau AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from HNS, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC97LA005.