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20060504007499I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Amtr HELICYCLE · St Louis, MO · May 4, 2006

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 4, 2006 · 16:30 local
Place
St Louis, MO
Airport
Spirit Of St Louis Airport
Phase of flight
Forced Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N727X
Reported as
Amtr Helicycle
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
10,000 total25 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days
N727XRegistered now · Murphy John R HELICYCLES/N 1-19 · Built 2005Airframe modelMurphy John R HELICYCLEEngine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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) The pilot reported that he was flying for about 10 minutes and making an approach to the metro west heliport just west of sus. On short final at about 100 ft AGL and 45 knots the helicopter began to shake violently. He lowered the collective to hasten his descent. He flared to reduce forward speed, leveled the aircraft and touched down. He landed on a wet dirt and grass surface. The shaking stopped after landing. He was able to perform a normal shut-down. During the whole event the flight controls seemed to react normally. The pilot stated that in previous flights he had experienced some unstabilized flight that might be considered like an out of track main rotor but never like this condition of severe vibration. A written statement by the pilot is attached to this report. Inspection of the helicopter found contact between a main rotor blade and a tail rotor blade. Damage to both blade tips resulted. No other damage to the helicopter was noted. It is believed this damage occurred on landing and was not the cause of the vibration.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS FLYING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND MAKING AN APPROACH TO THE METRO WEST HELIPORT JUST WEST OF SUS. ON SHORT FINAL AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL AND 45 KNOTS THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. HE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE TO HASTEN HIS DESCENT. HE FLARED TO REDUCE FORWARD SPEED, LEVELED THE AIRCRAFT AND TOUCHED DOWN. HE LANDED ON A WET DIRT AND GRASS SURFACE. THE SHAKING STOPPED AFTER LANDING. HE WAS ABLE TO PERFORM A NORMAL SHUT-DOWN. DURING THE WHOLE EVENT THE FLIGHT CONTROLS SEEMED TO REACT NORMALLY. THE PILOT STATED THAT IN PREVIOUS FLIGHTS HE HAD EXPERIENCED SOME UNSTABILIZED FLIGHT THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED LIKE AN OUT OF TRACK MAIN ROTOR BUT NEVER LIKE THIS CONDITION OF SEVERE VIBRATION. A WRITTEN STATEMENT BY THE PILOT IS ATTACHED TO THIS REPORT. INSPECTION OF THE HELICOPTER FOUND CONTACT BETWEEN A MAIN ROTOR BLADE AND A TAIL ROTOR BLADE. DAMAGE TO BOTH BLADE TIPS RESULTED. NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER WAS NOTED. IT IS BELIEVED THIS DAMAGE OCCURRED ON LANDING AND WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE VIBRATION.