Primary finding
Probable cause
An in-flight fire for undetermined reasons.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The amateur-built helicopter was destroyed by a fire that began in-flight and continued on the ground after landing. The flight instructor and dual student were not injured. The instructor and dual student reported that the instructional flight consisted of practicing hovering. They stated that approximately 20 minutes into the flight they thought they smelled smoke and decided to make a precautionary landing. The pilots reported that once they landed, smoke was coming out of the engine compartment and the engine had stopped. Both pilots exited the helicopter safely. Subsequent efforts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful. A post accident examination was unable to determine the source of the fire due to the extensive damage to the helicopter.
Source record
Factual narrative
The amateur-built helicopter was destroyed by a fire that began in-flight and continued on the ground after landing. The flight instructor and dual student were not injured. The instructor and dual student reported that the instructional flight consisted of practicing hovering. They stated that approximately 20 minutes into the flight they thought they smelled smoke and decided to make a precautionary landing. The pilots reported that once they landed, smoke was coming out of the engine compartment and the engine had stopped. Both pilots exited the helicopter safely. Subsequent efforts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful. A post accident examination was unable to determine the source of the fire due to the extensive damage to the helicopter.