Amateur-built Rotorway 162F accident near Logan, Utah, June 18, 2007
On June 18, 2007 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Rotorway 162F (helicopter), registered N203XR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Logan, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to the pilot inadvertently deactivating the rotor drive clutch assembly. A contributing factor was the downhill terrain condition where he landed, which exceeded the slope limitations of the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2007 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Logan, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Rotorway 162F
- Registration
- N203XR · no longer on the register · serial 6188
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was maneuvering at low altitude to take pictures of his neighbor's business. Suddenly the helicopter's engine "raced free of load", the needles split and he began an autorotation. The aircraft landed with its right skid up slope, and the helicopter rolled onto its left side. The pilot's postaccident examination of the control panel revealed that he had inadvertently deactivated the aircraft's electric clutch by striking its overhead toggle switch with his head. The helicopter's main rotor blades, one tail rotor blade, right landing skid, left horizontal stabilizer, and the tail boom were bent. The landing skid on the left side collapsed.
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: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 235 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 162R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRIV Logan UT at 8:50 pm
- Destination: PRIV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from LGU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.