20180211002389I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 407 · Lancaster, TX · February 11, 2018

Date: February 11, 2018 · 14:45 local
Place: Lancaster, TX
Airport: Lancaster Regional
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: VE7A
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N434PH
Reported as: Bell 407
Reported engine: Allison 250-C47B
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,200 total1,200 in this make and model46 in the last 90 days

N434PHRegistered now · Bell 407S/N 53773 · Built 2007 Airframe modelBell 407 Engine modelAllison 250-C47BTurbo-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.

Helicopter departed heliport (73T) enroute to lnc airport. The purpose of the flight was to conduct emergency procedures training, practicing touchdown auto-rotations in the grass parallel to rwy 31. The pic/instructor was demonstrating an auto-rotation to the ground. After touchdown, the helicopter skids dug into the ground causing the nose to pitch down and the helicopter to roll forward. The PIC applied aft cyclic to counter act the forward movement causing the main rotor blades to contact the left side winglet.

As the FAA filed it

HELICOPTER DEPARTED HELIPORT (73T) ENROUTE TO LNC AIRPORT. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO CONDUCT EMERGENCY PROCEDURES TRAINING, PRACTICING TOUCHDOWN AUTO-ROTATIONS IN THE GRASS PARALLEL TO RWY 31. THE PIC/INSTRUCTOR WAS DEMONSTRATING AN AUTO-ROTATION TO THE GROUND. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE HELICOPTER SKIDS DUG INTO THE GROUND CAUSING THE NOSE TO PITCH DOWN AND THE HELICOPTER TO ROLL FORWARD. THE PIC APPLIED AFT CYCLIC TO COUNTER ACT THE FORWARD MOVEMENT CAUSING THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES TO CONTACT THE LEFT SIDE WINGLET.

Other reports on N434PH · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20170803016879IManeuver · Midlothian, TXCrew was training a stuck pedal maneuver when the main rotor blades contacted the left hand vertical fin.Aug 3, 2017 · Minor damage