Amateur-built ROTORWAY/EXEC accident near Circleville, Ohio, August 6, 1989
On August 6, 1989 at about 2:49 pm local time, a amateur-built ROTORWAY/EXEC (helicopter), registered N4JK, was destroyed in an accident near Circleville, Ohio. 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
MATERIAL FAILURE OF AN OIL LINE ALLOWING OIL TO ESCAPE AND IGNITE AS IT TOUCHED HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD SURFACES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1989 · about 2:49 pm local time
- Place
- Circleville, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ROTORWAY/EXEC ROTORWAY/E
- Registration
- N4JK · registry record · serial 86E3429A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE ACCIDENT HELICOPTER SMELLED AND SAW SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT, AND NOTED A LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATION DURING CRUISE FLIGHT. THE PILOT PERFORMED AN AUTOROTATION IN A FIELD. AFTER LANDING, FLAMES WERE OBSERVED IN THE AREA OF THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. TWO HANDHELD FIRE EXTINGUISHERS WERE EXPENDED ON THE FLAMES, BUT EFFORTS TO PUT OUT THE FIRE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND THE HELCIOPTER WAS DESTROYED. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DETERMINED THAT OIL MOST PROBABLY WAS LEAKING FROM A SPLIT IN THE OIL PRESSURE LINE.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 156 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 72 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 1989; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotorway RW-152 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RZT Chillicothe OH at 2:20 pm
- Destination: RZT Chillicothe OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.