20030930025629I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Snias AS350B2 · Junction City, KS · September 30, 2003

Date: September 30, 2003 · 17:30 local
Place: Junction City, KS
Airport: Freeman Field Airport
Phase of flight: Sfl Autorotation
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: L2SA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N853HW
Reported as: Snias AS350B2
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 7,500 total2,000 in this make and model30 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.

(-23) During a practice touchdown autorotation, the helicopter touched down and slid to an abrupt stop causing the pilot to apply aft cyclic. Because of aft cyclic and low rotor RPM, a main rotor blade came in contact with the tailrotor drive shaft cover. The cover, the drive shaft and main rotor blade were damaged. Practice autorotations are a normal training maneuver that were being made to sod runway 05 at Junction City, KS airport. Touchdown was made at a point a little further down the runway than previous touchdown autorotations. The surface condition was wetter than previous touchdown points causing the aircraft to stop suddenly. During the slide on the skids that was decelerating faster than anticipated, the student pulled back on the cyclic to level the helicopter as it pitched forward.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING A PRACTICE TOUCHDOWN AUTOROTATION, THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN AND SLID TO AN ABRUPT STOP CAUSING THE PILOT TO APPLY AFT CYCLIC. BECAUSE OF AFT CYCLIC AND LOW ROTOR RPM, A MAIN ROTOR BLADE CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE TAILROTOR DRIVE SHAFT COVER. THE COVER, THE DRIVE SHAFT AND MAIN ROTOR BLADE WERE DAMAGED. PRACTICE AUTOROTATIONS ARE A NORMAL TRAINING MANEUVER THAT WERE BEING MADE TO SOD RUNWAY 05 AT JUNCTION CITY, KS AIRPORT. TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE AT A POINT A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE RUNWAY THAN PREVIOUS TOUCHDOWN AUTOROTATIONS. THE SURFACE CONDITION WAS WETTER THAN PREVIOUS TOUCHDOWN POINTS CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO STOP SUDDENLY. DURING THE SLIDE ON THE SKIDS THAT WAS DECELERATING FASTER THAN ANTICIPATED, THE STUDENT PULLED BACK ON THE CYCLIC TO LEVEL THE HELICOPTER AS IT PITCHED FORWARD.