About 1630 eastern time, a Brantly B-2B crashed shortly after takeoff. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger received minor injuries. The pilot/owner said he had flown his helicopter to Lantana to sell it, with the passenger on board to learn the helicopter so he could give flight instruction to the prospective buyer. When the flight instructor arrived, the pilot said he noted that the passenger was heavier that the 150 pounds he had previously been told and the helicopter would be slightly overweight. He told the passenger that all they could do were some hovering maneuvers until they burned off enough fuel to get the weight down. He also stated he demonstrated some maneuvers and then turned the controls over to the passenger, who allowed the rotor rpm to decay, leading to the crash. The instructor said the owner invited him to go for a ride and that the pilot/owner was flying the helicopter at the time of the accident.
May 05, Lantana, Fla. / Brantly B-2B
About 1630 eastern time, a Brantly B-2B crashed shortly after takeoff. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger received minor injuries. The pilot/owner said he had flown his helicopter to Lantana to sell it, with the passenger on board to learn the helicopter so he could give flight instruction to the prospective buyer. When the flight instructor arrived, the pilot said he noted that the passenger was heavier that the 150 pounds he had previously been told and the helicopter would be slightly overweight. He told the passenger that all they could do were some hovering maneuvers until they burned off enough fuel to get the weight down. He also stated he demonstrated some maneuvers and then turned...
Key Takeaways:
- A Brantly B-2B helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in minor injuries to the pilot and a pilot-rated passenger.
- The accident was attributed to a decay in rotor RPM, occurring during a flight intended to facilitate the sale of the helicopter.
- The pilot claimed the helicopter was slightly overweight and the passenger was flying when the rotor RPM decayed.
- The passenger, a flight instructor, stated the pilot/owner was operating the controls at the time of the crash.
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