Amateur-built RW 152 accident near Southwick, Massachusetts, August 4, 1990
On August 4, 1990 at about 6:04 pm local time, a amateur-built RW 152 (helicopter), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Southwick, Massachusetts. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
A HARD LANDING DUE TO IMPROPER USE OF THE ROTORCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROLS, AND THE DECISION TO PUT FUEL IN ONLY ONE SIDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1990 · about 6:04 pm local time
- Place
- Southwick, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RW 152
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 41820
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PRACTICING HOVER FLIGHT AND LANDED TO REFUEL. HE PUT FUEL IN ONLY ONE SIDE AND THEN TOOK OFF AGAIN. HE FELT A LATERAL IMBALANCE AND MADE A HARD LANDING SETTING THE HELICOPTER BACK DOWN. THE RIGHT SKID COLLAPSED AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,962 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,721 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,285 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway RW 152 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.