Amateur-built Rotorway Exec accident near Willis, Texas, May 15, 2004
On May 15, 2004 at about 9:22 pm local time, a amateur-built Rotorway Exec (helicopter), registered N319RC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willis, Texas. 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
The partial loss of engine power due to the failure of the #1 cylinder valve retainer clip. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2004 · about 9:22 pm local time
- Place
- Willis, Texas · 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
- Registration
- N319RC · no longer on the register · serial 3195
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 3,200-hour pilot reported that as he lifted the helicopter up to a hover from a boat dock, he started to move the helicopter over the water. Subsequently, the pilot heard a ratcheting sound followed by a partial loss of engine power. The right landing skid and the main rotor blades contacted the dock, and the helicopter came to rest upright in about 4-feet of water, adjacent to the dock. Examination of the engine revealed that the #1 cylinder exhaust valve keeper retaining clip has disengaged. The pilot stated that he had recently sent the #1 cylinder out for maintenance and reinstalled the cylinder approximately 10 hours prior to the flight.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 6, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 2004; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,285 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway R-152 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Willis TX at 9:22 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.