Amateur-built Helicycle accident near Erie, Colorado, June 21, 2007
On June 21, 2007 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Helicycle (helicopter), registered N15XH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erie, Colorado (Erie Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control resulting in the helicopter impacting onto the airport ramp. A contributing factor to the accident was the pilot's failure to establish the landing flare in time.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2007 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · Erie Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Helicycle
- Registration
- N15XH · no longer on the register · serial 03-070
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was making his second attempt to land his home-built, experimental helicopter when during the descent he failed to put in enough aft collective and impacted onto the ramp. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the helicopter was substantially damaged. A representative from the company that made the helicopter kit was witness to the accident. The witness said that he had flown the helicopter the day before and on the morning of the accident flight. The witness said that this was the owner/builder/pilot's first flight in the helicopter. He said that the start up was normal and that everything looked good up to the time the pilot lifted off into a hover. The witness said he could see the pilot over-controlling the helicopter. The witness said that when he had flown the helicopter, everything worked just fine.
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: student
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Solar T-62T-32 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EIK Erie CO
- Destination: EIK Erie CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33
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.