Amateur-built Exec 162F accident near Winamac, Indiana, August 18, 2007
On August 18, 2007 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Exec 162F (helicopter), registered N428JT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winamac, Indiana. 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 inadequate installation of the horizontal stabilizer bracket by the pilot, the fatigue fracture seperation of vertical stabilizer bracket during cruise flight, and the aircraft control not possible by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2007 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Winamac, Indiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Exec 162F
- Registration
- N428JT · registry record · serial 6160
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amateur-built rotorcraft impacted terrain during cruise flight following the in-flight separation of the vertical stabilizer, which resulted in damage to the tail rotor. The rotorcraft was registered to and built by the pilot. The pilot did not hold a rotorcraft rating and received a 90-day solo endorsement to pilot the rotorcraft approximately 10 months before the accident. Examination of the vertical stabilizer revealed fatigue fracture of the vertical stabilizer bracket originating from hole burrs. The airplane construction manual states, "It is good practice to remove all sharp edges when working with sheet metal. Various types of deburring tools are available, or use a file or sandpaper."
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
- Flight time: 223 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 0 on instruments
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 99.9 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 1, 2007; 16.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 162F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RWN Winamac IN
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from VPZ
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.
Other NTSB records under N428JT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.