19960726026629I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 206B · Virginia Beach, VA · July 26, 1996

Date: July 26, 1996 · 18:30 local
Place: Virginia Beach, VA
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N200VB
Reported as: Bell 206B
Reported engine: Allison 250C20
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,485 total1,900 in this make and model95 in the last 90 days

N200VBRegistered now · Bell 206BS/N 4070 · Built 1989 Airframe modelBell 206B Engine modelAllison 250-C20Turbo-shaft

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.

Narrative: while practicing power auto rotations, the pilot misjudged approach to the landing pad and touched down hard and to the left. The helicopter suffered some minor damage which is described as follows: 1. Wrinkled tail boom skin, approximately 10 inches aft of fuselage attach point, both sides. 2. Engine/transmission spike/knock indicator plate sheared. 3. Forward gear box drive shaft coupling hit the slotted plate underneath it. 4. Main rotor control rods contacted inside of upper engine/transmission compartment opening. Any hidden damage still subject to evaluation by maintenance personnel.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: WHILE PRACTICING POWER AUTO ROTATIONS, THE PILOT MISJUDGED APPROACH TO THE LANDING PAD AND TOUCHED DOWN HARD AND TO THE LEFT. THE HELICOPTER SUFFERED SOME MINOR DAMAGE WHICH IS DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: 1. WRINKLED TAIL BOOM SKIN, APPROXIMATELY 10 INCHES AFT OF FUSELAGE ATTACH POINT, BOTH SIDES. 2. ENGINE/TRANSMISSION SPIKE/KNOCK INDICATOR PLATE SHEARED. 3. FORWARD GEAR BOX DRIVE SHAFT COUPLING HIT THE SLOTTED PLATE UNDERNEATH IT. 4. MAIN ROTOR CONTROL RODS CONTACTED INSIDE OF UPPER ENGINE/TRANSMISSION COMPARTMENT OPENING. ANY HIDDEN DAMAGE STILL SUBJECT TO EVALUATION BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.