Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162F accident near Nampa, Idaho, October 5, 2013
On October 5, 2013 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1997 amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162F (helicopter), registered N104BJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Nampa, Idaho. It was a personal flight 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 flight control malfunction during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined. No follow-up examination was conducted due to a lapse in agency funding and subsequent government shutdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2013 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nampa, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162F F, built 1997
- Registration
- N104BJ · no longer on the register · serial 6194
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight, about 500 feet above ground level (agl), the cyclic control seemed to require a higher than normal input. He changed speed, however, that seemed to make it worse. The pilot was over a field and entered a 180 degree autorotation to lose altitude. At the completion of the autorotation, forward velocity had dissipated and the lateral movement to the left increased even with full right cyclic input. The helicopter collided with trees that bordered the field and subsequently rolled over onto its left side after touchdown. The fuselage and tailboom were substantially damaged.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Autorotation Off-field or emergency landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Rotorcraft flight control › (general) › Malfunction
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 30,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 22,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 19, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway RI 162F (piston); 321 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EUL Caldwell ID at 2:45 pm
- Destination: EUL Caldwell ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 pm from EUL, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N104BJ 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.