Amateur-built Exec 162-F accident near Aiken, South Carolina, October 14, 2006
On October 14, 2006 at about 6:58 pm local time, a amateur-built Exec 162-F (helicopter), registered N848TL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aiken, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to adequately compensate for wind conditions during takeoff which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and a roll over during an attempted forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2006 · about 6:58 pm local time
- Place
- Aiken, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Exec 162-F
- Registration
- N848TL · no longer on the register · serial 6544
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated "I started to lift off from the Aiken Airport when a tailwind, estimated by a CFI who was nearby, of 20+ mph caught my tail. I lost tail rotor control at [approximately] 10 [feet] off the ground. As N848TL spun around, I lowered the collective and struck the pavement. The helicopter rolled onto the pilot’s side [and] stopped."
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 900 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 82 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 1, 2006; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 162-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AIK Aiken SC at 6:58 pm
- Destination: AIK Aiken SC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from AGS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.