Amateur-built MOSQUITO accident near Winchendon, Massachusetts, July 29, 2015
On July 29, 2015 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2015 amateur-built MOSQUITO (helicopter), registered N285XE, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Winchendon, Massachusetts. 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
A partial loss of engine power due to a faulty electrical wiring crimp in the engine’s ignition system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2015 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winchendon, Massachusetts · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MOSQUITO, built 2015
- Registration
- N285XE · registry record · serial MXE1249A14B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the commercial pilot, about 1 hour into a local flight, he felt the helicopter suddenly "kick from loss of torque." He then observed that the engine rpm had dropped to about 30%, and he was unable to increase engine power using the throttle control. The pilot responded by performing an autorotation to an open field. During the landing, the helicopter touched down hard, and the main rotor system struck the tailboom, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe and tail rotor drive system. During a postaccident engine run, the pilot found that a faulty wiring crimp resulted in a loss of electrical power to the coil pack of one of the cylinders, which resulted in the engine experiencing a partial loss of power.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Ignition system wiring › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 183.1 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 15.6 in the last 90 days; 8.3 in the last 30 days; 167 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 3, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 20, 2015; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 610 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Innovator Technologies Inntec 800 (piston); 25 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFN Jaffrey NH at 5:20 pm
- Destination: AFN Jaffrey NH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from KAFN, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on November 16, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Pilot Email | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.