Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXECUTIVE accident near Lugoff, South Carolina, March 25, 1989
On March 25, 1989 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built ROTORWAY EXECUTIVE (helicopter), registered N70289, was destroyed in an accident near Lugoff, South Carolina (Private airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER EVALUATION OF EXISTING CONDITIONS DURING PREFLIGHT INSPECTION RESULTING IN A DYNAMIC ROLLOVER DUE TO DRAG FROM AN IMBEDDED LEFT SKID.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 1989 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lugoff, South Carolina · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXECUTIVE ROTORWAY E
- Registration
- N70289 · registry record · serial 10001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING AN ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF TO A HOVER AS A RESULT OF THE LEFT SKID BEING SLIGHTLY EMBEDDED IN SOFT EARTH. THE ROTORS CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE GROUND CAUSING A DYNAMIC ROLLOVER. THE 21-HOUR STUDENT PILOT/BUILDER WAS NOT INJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.
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: student
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 21 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 25, 1989; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway RW 152/D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Lugoff SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.