# Accident 20190624007929A: Bell OH-58C, Gainseville, FL, June 24, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 24, 2019, 21:20 local time
- Place: Gainseville, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.6933° N, 82.2773° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6933&lon=-82.2773&mi=10
- Aircraft: N911GV, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N911GV-2022-12-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell OH-58C (registry code 1181580, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-oh-58c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL OH-58C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 5,788 total, 3,602 in this make and model, 44 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA19LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA206) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190624007929A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 6/24/19 AT APPROX  1720 HRS A MEMBER OF THE GAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND A CIVILIAN INSTRUCTOR TOOK OFF FOR AN NVG TRAINING FLIGHT. THE TRAINING BEGAN WITH SOME UN-AIDED HOVER WORK, THEN NVG. AFTER CONDUCTING A FEW NORMAL APPROACHES, EMERGENCY PROCEDURES INCLUDING STUCK PEDALS AND HYDRAULICS OFF LANDINGS WERE PRACTICED. THE FIRST FULL DOWN AUTOROTATION FLARE WAS HIGHER THAN NORMAL, WHICH IS COMMON UNDER NVG?S. THE AUTOROTATION WAS DEBRIEFED. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK THE CONTROLS TO DEMONSTRATE A FEW THINGS THAT NEEDED IMPROVEMENT. THE INSTRUCTOR DEMONSTRATED AN AUTOROTATION AT DIFFERENT AIRSPEEDS AND THE DIFFERENT DESCENT RATES WITH A POWER RECOVER. THE INSTRUCTOR ADVISED HE WOULD DEMONSTRATE AN AUTOROTATION AT 60 KNOTS ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND. THE INSTRUCTOR ENTERED A STRAIGHT IN AUTOROTATION AT 60 KNOTS AT 800 FEET ABOVE GROUND SLIGHTLY LEFT OF THE TAXI WAY, CORRECTED. THE DESCENT WAS RELATIVELY NORMAL. FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS WERE OBSERVED TO BE RPM 100%, N1  STABLE, AIRSPEED 60 KTS AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS SLIGHTLY OUT OF TRIM WHICH THE INSTRUCTOR ANNOUNCED AND CORRECTED. THE FLARE WAS INITIATED AT 75 FEET AND 55 KNOTS. THE HELICOPTER WAS SLIGHTLY OFF CENTERLINE, CORRECTED AND THE FLARE WAS OTHERWISE NORMAL. AT APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET AN INITIAL PITCH PULL WAS INITIATED AND STARTED LEVELING THE AIRCRAFT. DURING THE CUSHIONING PHASE OF THE AUTOROTATION, EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL UNTIL THE FIRST CONTACT WITH THE TAXIWAY. AS THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN SLIGHTLY HEELS FIRST AND AS IT ROCKED SLIGHTLY FORWARD IT SEEMED TO GRAB AND STARTED TO OSCILLATE UNCONTROLLABLY. THE NOSE THEN DROPPED. STUDENT OBSERVED: UPON TOUCHING THE GROUND, HE IMMEDIATELY FELT LIKE WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A POT-HOLE FILLED DIRT ROAD AND AFTER SEVERAL QUICK BUMPS, UP AND DOWN WHILE SKIDDING ACROSS THE TAXIWAY, FELT A MASSIVE WHIP FORWARD AND TO THE LEFT FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL MORE THROWS IN A COUNTER CLOCKWISE MOTION, THE THROWS BECAME MORE INTENSE. THE INSTRUCTOR BELIEVING HE HAD PYLON WHIRL LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE AND ATTEMPTED TO STEER THROUGH IT. THE VIBRATIONS AND THROWS THEN SUBSIDED. OBSERVED DAMAGE TO THE TAIL BOOM, ISOLATION MOUNT AND THE UPPER COWLING AROUND THE ROTOR MAST OF HELICOPTER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA19LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA206), Jun 25, 2019: Bell OH58C (N911GV), Gainesville, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a simulated forced landing autorotation, which resulted in pylon whirl that substantially damaged the helicopter.

## Other reports on N911GV (1)

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

- [Incident 20111208027509I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20111208027509I), Dec 8, 2011: Bell OH-58C (N911GV), Gainesville, FL, Minor damage. The pilot stated helicopter was orbiting around 800 ft when the engine spooled down. The pilot attempted to make a landing in a dry retention area. At 400 ft…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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