Amateur-built Rotorway accident near Pattison, Texas, September 25, 2010
On September 25, 2010 at about 2:25 pm local time, a amateur-built Rotorway (helicopter), registered N520RW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Pattison, Texas (Private Helipad airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain main rotor rpm, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 2010 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Pattison, Texas · Private Helipad · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rotorway Exec 90
- Registration
- N520RW · no longer on the register · serial 6839
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness working in a field observed the helicopter fly overhead and heard the rotor blades making "funny noises." Shortly after, the witness lost sight of the helicopter and observed a plume of smoke. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies with the flight control system, rotor system, or engine. A technical representative of the helicopter manufacturer examined the photographs taken on scene, and reported that the main rotor blades displayed signatures consistent with a decay of the main rotor rpm.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 198 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 78 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 26, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway RI 162F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Brookshire TX at 2:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Brookshire TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KCXO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.