Rotorway A600 accident near Chandler, Arizona, March 15, 2011
On March 15, 2011 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Rotorway A600 (helicopter), registered N602RW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Chandler, Arizona (Stellar Airpark airport). It was an instructional 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
A design modification that changed the fasteners and components used to attach the main rotor drive pulley to the engine, which resulted in fatigue failure of those fasteners and a complete loss of power to the main rotor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2011 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Stellar Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rotorway A600 Talon
- Registration
- N602RW · registry record · serial 8011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and a helicopter-rated pilot were conducting the flight for the purpose of transitioning the pilot to the piston-engine experimental helicopter. About 30 minutes into the flight, while flying straight and level, the pilots felt a jolt followed by loud noise and vibration. The flight instructor reduced power and began looking for a place to land. Erratic engine tachometer indications and additional power reduction then prompted the flight instructor to enter an autorotation for a forced landing. The helicopter had some forward velocity at touchdown on the firm, smooth ground. The skids dug in and the helicopter rolled over. Both pilots were uninjured. The helicopter used a system of pulleys and sprockets to enable the engine to drive the main rotor at the desired rotational speed. The accident helicopter incorporated a design change for the main drive pulley attachment to the engine flywheel. The original design used three 3/8-inch diameter socket-head bolts to attach the pulley to the flywheel and one other drive component; the revised design used four 1/4-inch diameter cross-slot (Phillips) screws to attach the pulley only to the flywheel. Postaccident examination of the components revealed that the four attach screws had failed due to fatigue. Laboratory examination of other screws from the same manufacturing lot indicated that the screws were in compliance with their design specifications. The failed screws had about 20 hours in service. The torque that could be applied to the cross-slot screws was limited by the slippage of the screwdriver in the screw head, which in turn limited the preload on the screws and the induced friction in the pulley-to-flywheel joint. Those conditions contributed to the cyclic loading of the fasteners, which then resulted in their fatigue failure. Subsequent to the accident, the manufacturer reverted to its original flywheel-pulley attach method and replaced the newer design pulley assemblies with the original configuration.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Emergency descent initiated during enroute (cruise)
- Autorotation Off-field or emergency landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor drive › Engine/transmission coupling › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor drive › Engine/transmission coupling › Design
- cause Organizational issues › Development › Design › Equipment design › Manufacturer
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 361 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 144 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 308 as pilot in command; 51 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 21, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,267 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,840 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 11, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 121 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 24, 2011; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway International 600N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rotorway International
The flight
- Departed from: P19 Chandler AZ at 8:30 pm
- Destination: P19 Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from CHD, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.