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GAA17CA383

2017-07-04 · Easton, Pennsylvania, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport N43

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s distraction during liftoff due to the tail rotor chip warning light illuminating, which resulted in the helicopter drifting right, the skid touching down, and a dynamic roll-over.

Factual narrative

The helicopter pilot reported that during lift off, the tail rotor chip warning light illuminated, "and distracted me for a moment." The helicopter drifted to the right, the right skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled over on to its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor drive shaft, the horizontal stabilizer and the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The helicopter pilot reported that, during liftoff, the tail rotor chip warning light illuminated "and distracted me for a moment." The helicopter drifted to the right, the right skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled over onto its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor drive shaft, the horizontal stabilizer, and the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA383.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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