Amateur-built EXEC 152 accident near Gretna, Virginia, June 10, 1996
On June 10, 1996 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built EXEC 152 (helicopter), registered N7182Z, was destroyed in an accident near Gretna, Virginia. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the bearing assembly shaft insert inside the main rotor shaft. Related factors are the jammed rotorcraft flight control which restricted the pilot's ability to control the helicopter and resulted in a hard touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1996 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gretna, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EXEC 152
- Registration
- N7182Z · registry record · serial RW152-2008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that about three minutes into the flight something in the rear of the helicopter popped very loud. The helicopter was about 150 agl, over open fields, when he heard the noise. The aircraft hit the ground on the skids, the main rotor blades hit the tailboom and helicopter came to rest about 180 degrees from the initial direction of travel. Examination of the wreckage found that the bearing assembly shaft insert had separated inside of the main rotor shaft. Examination of the maintenance records found that the main rotor shaft assembly had accumulated about 100 hours at the time of the accident and had been replaced in January 1995. The manufacturer stated that the new assemblies replacement interval should be every 350 hours.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 790 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 16, 1995; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,380 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway ROTORWAY 162 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 IAD96LA094.