Amateur-built Safari accident near Trona, California, September 3, 2005
On September 3, 2005 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Safari (helicopter), registered N912TT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trona, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the in-flight fatigue failure of a control system connecting rod, which resulted in a loss of helicopter control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2005 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Trona, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Safari
- Registration
- N912TT · no longer on the register · serial 2002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental helicopter impacted terrain after experiencing a failure of a flight control connecting rod. According to the pilot, he was maneuvering the helicopter about 50 feet above the ground when he heard a loud bang followed by a whirring or buzzing noise. The helicopter rolled to the left, which the pilot was unable to counter with control inputs, and impacted terrain on the left side. A post-accident examination of the helicopter by the pilot/builder revealed that a 27.875-inch aluminum control rod was fractured near the middle of the rod. The control rod was connected between the collective-cyclic mixing assembly and a walking beam that connected to the stationary swash plate of the left side (pilot side) of the helicopter. The break in the control rod was perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod. Examination of the control rod by a metallurgical laboratory revealed the failure was a result of a fatigue crack that had propagated through nearly 75 percent of the control rod. A portion of the break was polished indicating that the crack had been present for quite some time. The pre-existing crack in the control rod reduced its strength to a point that allowed the flight control forces to fail the remaining material. According to the pilot/builder, a break in the control rod would result in flight characteristics consistent with that experienced by the pilot during the accident flight. The control system has been redesigned by the kit manufacturer as a result of this accident and now incorporates steel control rods as opposed to aluminum ones.
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: 680 hours in all; 117 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 589 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 522.7 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 1, 2004; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Ridgecrest CA at 2:57 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 65 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from NID, 20 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.