Amateur-built Rotorway 162F accident near Malta, Illinois, March 26, 2007
On March 26, 2007 at about 9:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Rotorway 162F (helicopter), registered N162MC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Malta, Illinois. 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 improper use of the rotorcraft flight controls resulting in a dynamic rollover during takeoff. A factor was the soft ground that the left skid encountered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2007 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Malta, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rotorway 162F
- Registration
- N162MC · registry record · serial 6493
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter sustained substantial damage during a dynamic roll over on takeoff. The pilot made a precautionary landing, in a cornfield, in response to a warning light. After resolving the light issue and during takeoff, the "right skid rose off the ground but the left skid made no attempt to raise and the helicopter abruptly rolled over onto the left skid and continued over until the rotor blades contacted the ground. ... The left skid had sunk into the ground further than it appeared." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter. The pilot's safety recommendation stated, "I could have made a ... more [thorough] check of ground conditions before attempting a takeoff."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,892 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 3,853 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 202.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway RI 162 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DKB De Kalb IL at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from DKB
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.