FORT MYERS, FL, USA
N31788
Frederick Sweet ROTORWAY EXEC
The pilot stated he was running the aircraft's engine and hovering the helicopter while it was tied to the ground by a chain. The chain broke and he lost control of the helicopter. The helicopter rolled to the side and the main rotor collided with a tree.
On April 8, 1999, about 1515 eastern daylight time, a Frederick Sweet Rotorway Exec, N31788, registered to an individual, collided with a tree while hovering at Fort Myers, Florida, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter received substantial damage and the private-rated pilot was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot stated he had chained the helicopter to the ground with a 2-foot-long chain. He only planned to hover the helicopter. He started the helicopter's engine and lifted the helicopter into a hover. The chain broke, the helicopter rolled to the side, and the main rotor contacted a palm tree. The helicopter then came to rest on its side.
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain aircraft control after the ground tie chain separated during engine run and hovering operations.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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