Amateur-built EXEC 162F accident near Kenansville, Florida, September 10, 2020
On September 10, 2020 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 2001 amateur-built EXEC 162F (helicopter), registered N57AN, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Kenansville, Florida (Private Heliport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2020 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kenansville, Florida · Private Heliport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EXEC 162F, built 2001
- Registration
- N57AN · registry record · serial 6557
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the experimental amateur-built helicopter reported that during takeoff, when the left skid was coming off the ground, he felt a small jerk, so he moved the cyclic to the left and forward. When the cyclic moved it hit the passenger’s left knee. The passenger “jerked” and the cyclic moved back to the right and the helicopter “instantaneously” rolled over to the right side and struck the ground. The pilot and the passenger were not injured, and the helicopter’s main rotor and tail boom sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 450 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 7, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 363.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotoway (piston); 363 hours total
- Operator: Sarah Business Llc
The flight
- Departed from: Kenansville FL at 2:00 pm
- Destination: COI Merritt Island FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KMLB, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 12, 2021. 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 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 2 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.