19880413008899A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bell 47D1 · Taft, CA · April 13, 1988

Date
April 13, 1988 · 14:30 local
Place
Taft, CA
Phase of flight
Autorot Descent (Rotorcraft)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N917B
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX88LA160
Reported as
Bell 47D1
Reported engine
Franklin 6VS335A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,298 total804 in this make and model206 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Demonstrated an autorotation to hover. Flared too high. Tail rotor hit and broke off hitting main rotors on landing

As the FAA filed it

DEMONSTRATED AN AUTOROTATION TO HOVER. FLARED TOO HIGH. TAIL ROTOR HIT AND BROKE OFF HITTING MAIN ROTORS ON LANDING

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

Other reports on N917B · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.