20070203001939A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Urocop EC120B · Griffin, GA · February 3, 2007

Date: February 3, 2007 · 14:00 local
Place: Griffin, GA
Airport: Griffin-Spalding County Airport
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N491AE
NTSB investigation: NTSBATL07CA037
Reported as: Urocop EC120B
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 300 total50 in the last 90 days

N491AERegistration cancelled Oct 9, 2012 · Eurocopter EC120BS/N 1317 · Built 2002 Airframe modelEurocopter EC120B Engine modelTurbomeca ARRIUS-2FTurbo-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.

(-23) A rated pilot failed to apply proper pedal input. As the helicopter was lifting to a hover the helicopter began to rotate about the vertical axis. The second pilot began to give verbal commands to the pilot on control. The pilot on control failed to respond to those verbal commands as the helicopter rotated heading 90 degrees. The second pilot attempted to take control of the helicopter, but was unable to wrestle the controls from the pilot on control. The tail hit the ground and the helicopter rolled over onto its right side.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) A RATED PILOT FAILED TO APPLY PROPER PEDAL INPUT. AS THE HELICOPTER WAS LIFTING TO A HOVER THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO ROTATE ABOUT THE VERTICAL AXIS. THE SECOND PILOT BEGAN TO GIVE VERBAL COMMANDS TO THE PILOT ON CONTROL. THE PILOT ON CONTROL FAILED TO RESPOND TO THOSE VERBAL COMMANDS AS THE HELICOPTER ROTATED HEADING 90 DEGREES. THE SECOND PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO WRESTLE THE CONTROLS FROM THE PILOT ON CONTROL. THE TAIL HIT THE GROUND AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER ONTO ITS RIGHT 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 ATL07CA037Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportGriffin, GAThe first pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the helicopter during hover in ground effect, and the second pilot's (a certificated flight instructor), delayed remedial action, which resulted in an in-flight collision with the ground. A factor…Feb 3, 2007 · Substantial damage