Amateur-built REVOLUTION MINI 500B accident near Hazelhurst, Mississippi, February 16, 2000
On February 16, 2000 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built REVOLUTION MINI 500B (helicopter), registered N460AK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hazelhurst, Mississippi. It was a personal flight 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 a practice autorotation, by allowing the rotor rpm to become inadequate to cushion the touchdown, which resulted in a hard landing, and subsequent roll over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2000 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hazelhurst, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built REVOLUTION MINI 500B REVOLUTION
- Registration
- N460AK · registry record · serial 460
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At an altitude of about 200 feet agl the pilot attempted a practice auto rotation into a field. According to the pilot he lowered the collective, at a forward speed of 60 mph. He then reduced the throttle. He said, '...I think I was already in trouble when I began the auto rotation from such a low altitude...[and] I also don't thing that I had the collective all the way down because...the rotor rpms apparently began to bleed down without my noticing it...at about 50 feet agl I flared...then leveled and started pulling collective. The helicopter started violently shaking...which...indicates that the rotors were trying to stall from too low rpms...I couldn't stop my decent...I don't think I powered back up with the throttle...I hit the ground fairly violently...the helicopter...roll[ed] onto its left side...and the helicopter finally came to a stop about 30 yards from the point of initial impact.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical discrepancies. According the FAA's report, the pilot '...failed to perform the autorotation correctly and impacted the earth.'
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,685 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,544 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 836 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from JAN, 30 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.