Amateur-built Rotorway EXEC 152 accident near Placerville, California, January 1, 2001
On January 1, 2001 at about 11:29 pm local time, a amateur-built Rotorway EXEC 152 (helicopter), registered N94LW, was destroyed in an accident near Placerville, California (Private airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the student pilot to maintain adequate ground clearance while hovering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 2001 · about 11:29 pm local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · Private · 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 152
- Registration
- N94LW · no longer on the register · serial 71851
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot finished building the helicopter and this was its first flight. He had received 11 hours of flight instruction and was endorsed for hover only solo. The pilot reported that he was 1-2 feet in the air and as he began backing the helicopter the tail rotor guard struck the ground, the main rotor struck the tail boom, and the left skid struck the ground. The skid collapsed and the helicopter rolled over. After exiting, the pilot attempted to right the helicopter, but fuel leaking from the fuel cap ignited when it contacted the exhaust. The helicopter was destroyed in the subsequent fire.
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: student
- Flight time: 11 hours in all; 11 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 19, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,380 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway RW-152 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 61Q Placerville CA at 11:29 pm
- Destination: Placerville CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from MHR
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.