Jan. 1, Placerville, Calif. / Rotorway Exec

At 15:29 Pacific time, an amateur-built Rotorway Exec helicopter rolled over from a hover at a private airstrip near Placerville. The student pilot, who had just completed building the aircraft, was not injured. The pilot told a deputy sheriff this was the helicopters maiden voyage and that he had lifted one or two feet off the ground and the helicopter rolled left and crashed.