Rotorway 162F accident near Heart, North Dakota, July 16, 2007
On July 16, 2007 at about 11:11 pm local time, a Rotorway 162F (helicopter), registered CFYAR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Heart, North Dakota. 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
The pilot inadvertently shut off the fuel pump switch which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent loss of engine power. An additional cause was the pilot's poorly executed autorotation/flare which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2007 · about 11:11 pm local time
- Place
- Heart, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rotorway 162F
- Registration
- CFYAR · no longer on the register · serial 6212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was involved in a hard landing during an autorotation following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that during the flight, while drinking from a water bottle, the bottle contacted the overhead electric fuel pump switch. The switch was knocked to the off position, resulting in the loss of engine power. The pilot stated that he entered an autorotation. He said he realized that he had contacted the switch, but by that time he was already committed to land. The pilot reported, "...the auto was poorly executed at the bottom end, resulting in a hard landing." He reported that during the landing, the rear landing gear collapsed and the main rotor blades struck the tailboom.
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: commercial pilot, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 122 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 162 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 20V Beach ND at 10:07 pm
- Destination: DIK Dickenson ND
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.