Apr 16, 2019
Accident
Destroyed Fort McDowell, AZ
Injuries2 fatal
Phase of Flight-
ConditionsVMC
OperationFAR 091
Probable Cause
The separation of the main rotor head from the mast as a result of a sudden displacement of the cyclic stick during a low-G maneuver, leading to mast bumping. Contributing to the accident were the unsecure positioning of the flight test engineer’s laptop computer and the deviation from standard operating procedures to leave the left seat cyclic control installed during the test flight.
NTSB WPR19FA109