Amateur-built REVOLUTION MINI 500 accident near Hickory, North Carolina, October 26, 1998
On October 26, 1998 at about 8:15 pm local time, a amateur-built REVOLUTION MINI 500 (helicopter), registered N500GQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hickory, North Carolina. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The seizure of the rear piston in the cylinder barrel resulting in total loss of engine power and an autorotation which resulted in main rotor contact with the tail boom while touching down on unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1998 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hickory, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built REVOLUTION MINI 500 REVOLUTION
- Registration
- N500GQ · registry record · serial 404
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated the engine lost power without warning while in cruise flight between 500-700 feet. An autorotaion was made to a clear area with high vegetation. During touchdown on the previously unnoticed uneven terrain, the main rotor hit the mechanical stop and contacted the tailboom. The helicopter then spun around 180 degrees and came to rest. Postcrash examination of the engine showed the rear cylinder had seized in the barrel. The pilot stated this was the second time this had happened. The engine had accumulated 46 hours since being rebuilt after the previous failure.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,600 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 69 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1998; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 840 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Weddington NC at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from HKY, 1 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.