19950928030559A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bell 206B · Indianapolis, IN · September 28, 1995

Date: September 28, 1995 · 14:00 local
Place: Indianapolis, IN
Airport: Eagle Creek Airpark Airport
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N28SJ
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI95LA335
Reported as: Bell 206B
Reported engine: Allison 250C20B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0

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.

Hovered on hillside. Tail stinger hit tall grass. Vibration at high torque. Reduced it abruptly. Struck hill. Rolled (-23) during hovering downwind, aircraft's tail stinger struck the surface. The pilot then over controlled by applying too much collective, over torqueing the engine. He then lowered the collective while applying forward cyclic causing the aircraft to impact the surface toes first. Aircraft rolled up slope first causing the main rotor blade to strike the ground. The aircraft then rolled left downslope on its left side.

As the FAA filed it

HOVERED ON HILLSIDE. TAIL STINGER HIT TALL GRASS. VIBRATION AT HIGH TORQUE. REDUCED IT ABRUPTLY. STRUCK HILL.ROLLED (-23) DURING HOVERING DOWNWIND, AIRCRAFT'S TAIL STINGER STRUCK THE SURFACE. THE PILOT THEN OVER CONTROLLED BY APPLYING TOO MUCH COLLECTIVE, OVER TORQUEING THE ENGINE. HE THEN LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE WHILE APPLYING FORWARD CYCLIC CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO IMPACT THE SURFACE TOES FIRST. AIRCRAFT ROLLED UP SLOPE FIRST CAUSING THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE TO STRIKE THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ROLLED LEFT DOWNSLOPE ON ITS LEFT SIDE.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB CHI95LA335Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportIndianapolis, INThe pilot not maintaining adequate terrain clearance during his maneuvering exercise and his abrupt lowering of the collective. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's lack of experience.Sep 28, 1995 · Substantial damage