Amateur-built SAFARI 400 accident near Gallatin, Tennessee, April 10, 2019
On April 10, 2019 at about 4:50 pm local time, a 2016 amateur-built SAFARI 400 (helicopter), registered N104CV, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Gallatin, Tennessee (Sumner County Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot/owner's improper decision to make a right turn instead of terminating the approach to a hover and his subsequent loss of helicopter control while attempting to land on sloping terrain, which resulted in a roll-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2019 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Gallatin, Tennessee · Sumner County Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SAFARI 400 No Series, built 2016
- Registration
- N104CV · registry record · serial CH1503
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was also the owner of the helicopter, stated that the helicopter was at or near its maximum allowable gross weight and required maximum engine power to hover in ground effect when he initiated the flight. After a short local flight, the pilot completed an approach to a parallel taxiway with the helicopter in ground effect. The pilot reported that, instead of terminating the approach to a hover, he performed a 180° pedal turn and initiated a teardrop-shaped turn to reverse course, which resulted in the loss of ground effect. As the helicopter turned right below the effective translational lift airspeed, the terrain sloped away from beneath the helicopter, and once in an out-of-ground effect, higher power-demand condition, the engine could not produce the necessary power to maintain full operating rpm. The helicopter then descended below the height of the taxiway. The pilot attempted to perform a landing on rough, sloping terrain, but the helicopter's right skid hit a mound of dirt, which resulted in a dynamic rollover, and it then came to rest on its side.
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
- Dynamic rollover during maneuvering (hover) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 160 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 211 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 18, 2018; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Superior XP-O-360-A3HY (piston); 211 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: XNX Gallatin TN
- Destination: XNX Gallatin TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from KXNX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA19CA147.