Advanced Technology ULTRA SPORT 254 accident near West Point, Virginia, February 20, 1996
On February 20, 1996 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Advanced Technology ULTRA SPORT 254 (helicopter), registered N254AS, was destroyed in an accident near West Point, Virginia (West Point Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 low altitude flight/maneuvering, which resulted in the helicopter impacting terrain. A related factor was the pilot's lack of flight experience in the make and model of helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1996 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- West Point, Virginia · West Point Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Advanced Technology ULTRA SPORT 254 ULTRA SPOR
- Registration
- N254AS · registry record · serial 00002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a witness, the helicopter was hovering backward at a pace he described as '...a brisk walk...[then it stopped its rearward flight and] pitched the nose down to transition to forward flight.' The aircraft continued to pitch over into a progressively steeper nose down attitude, and descended into the terrain. The pilot stated that he '...initially applied forward cyclic and positive collective in order to fly through translational lift and enter stable forward flight...I realized I had no control in the forward longitudinal axis...impacted the ground approximately two seconds after the uncommanded pitch acceleration. Postaccident examination of the helicopter and videotaped evidence of the accident did not revealed a preimpact malfunction or anomaly. The pilot reported that he had 3,554 hours total flight time, including 2,032 hours in rotorcraft/helicopter. The pilot indicated that he had 2.2 hours in the accident make and model aircraft.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,554 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,028 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 80 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 1996; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 2706 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from RIC, 27 miles away
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.