20120507010349I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Sikorsky S-52-3 · Midland, MI · May 7, 2012

Date: May 7, 2012 · 09:00 local
Place: Midland, MI
Airport: Midland, Jack Barstow
Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9329R
Reported as: Sikorsky S-52-3
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,031 total5 in this make and model65 in the last 90 days

N9329RRegistration cancelled Dec 15, 2025 · Sikorsky S-52-3S/N 128616 Airframe modelSikorsky S-52-3

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.

An anonymous call was received by the grand rapids FSDO 05/16/12 regarding a helicopter that was reportedly hard landed, with minor damage. 05/17/12 surveillance was conducted and pilot was interviewed. The pilot reported during a hovering maneuver the helicopter's clutch slipped resulting in a hard landing. The helicopter sustained minor damage to modified landing skid assembly, a puncture of the skin was visible where the landing skid attaches to the forward lower left fuselage.

As the FAA filed it

AN ANONYMOUS CALL WAS RECEIVED BY THE GRAND RAPIDS FSDO 05/16/12 REGARDING A HELICOPTER THAT WAS REPORTEDLY HARD LANDED, WITH MINOR DAMAGE. 05/17/12 SURVEILLANCE WAS CONDUCTED AND PILOT WAS INTERVIEWED. THE PILOT REPORTED DURING A HOVERING MANEUVER THE HELICOPTER'S CLUTCH SLIPPED RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING. THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO MODIFIED LANDING SKID ASSEMBLY, A PUNCTURE OF THE SKIN WAS VISIBLE WHERE THE LANDING SKID ATTACHES TO THE FORWARD LOWER LEFT FUSELAGE.