Amateur-built 162F accident near Chandler, Arizona, November 13, 2005
On November 13, 2005 at about 10:30 pm local time, a amateur-built 162F (helicopter), registered N321JN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona. 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
a loss of engine power due to fuel contamination (rust, water) as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight planning preparation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 2005 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 162F
- Registration
- N321JN · registry record · serial 6066
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter made a hard landing while executing an autorotation after a loss of engine power in-flight. The pilot fueled the helicopter with automotive fuel from cans in the morning prior to practicing in the traffic pattern for 1 hour at Phoenix Regional Airport. He landed, refueled from the same fuel source he had in the morning, and departed to Chandler. About 5 minutes into the flight, the pilot experienced a decrease in engine power and a drop in rotor rpm every time he raised the collective. He selected a landing site and chose to make an emergency landing. The pilot began an autorotation at about 1,000 feet above ground level and maneuvered toward his landing area, which was a water retention basin surrounded by trees. After just clearing the trees, and about 30 feet off the ground, he began a flare and touched down, stopping the helicopter within 20 feet. He exited the helicopter and noticed he had lost a tail rotor blade and the tail boom had a stress wrinkle in it. The pilot towed the helicopter back to his home and discovered rust and water in a fuel sample taken from the aircraft and the containers used to refuel the helicopter.
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
- Flight time: 189 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 110 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2005; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,475 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 162 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: A39 Phoenix AZ
- Destination: CHD Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from CHD
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 LAX06CA033.