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20210513004009I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bell 407 · Midlothian, TX · May 13, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 13, 2021 · 16:00 local
Place
Midlothian, TX
Airport
Mid-Way Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
VE7A
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N432PH
Reported as
Bell 407
Reported engine
Rolls-Royce 250-C47B
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,685 total875 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N432PHRegistered now · Bell 407S/N 53681 · Built 2005Airframe modelBell 407Engine modelRolls-Royce 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.

On may 13, 2021, at approximately 1600 central daylight time, a Bell 407, N432PH, bottom wire strike stuck into the ground in the grassy area along the right side of runway 36 at Mid-Way Regional Airport (kjwy). During a day emergency procedure practice flight, the check airman was simulating a fadec failure maneuver with the intent to terminate in a hover. The pilot at the controls made the decision to terminate on the ground doing a slight forward running landing due to the helicopters speed. The helicopter slid on the ground a short distance when the front skids dug into the soft ground, the bottom wire strike penetrated the ground and sheared off, causing the helicopter to rock forward, which allowed the tail to make contact with the main rotor. The pilot, check pilot, and passenger exited the aircraft uninjured. The aircraft sustained minor damage to the left winglet on the left horizontal stabilizer. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the incident.

METAR kjwy 131615Z auto 01005KT 10SM OVC049 19/12 A3036 rmk AO2 T01870119

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 13, 2021, AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BELL 407, N432PH, BOTTOM WIRE STRIKE STUCK INTO THE GROUND IN THE GRASSY AREA ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF RUNWAY 36 AT MID-WAY REGIONAL AIRPORT (KJWY). DURING A DAY EMERGENCY PROCEDURE PRACTICE FLIGHT, THE CHECK AIRMAN WAS SIMULATING A FADEC FAILURE MANEUVER WITH THE INTENT TO TERMINATE IN A HOVER. THE PILOT AT THE CONTROLS MADE THE DECISION TO TERMINATE ON THE GROUND DOING A SLIGHT FORWARD RUNNING LANDING DUE TO THE HELICOPTERS SPEED. THE HELICOPTER SLID ON THE GROUND A SHORT DISTANCE WHEN THE FRONT SKIDS DUG INTO THE SOFT GROUND, THE BOTTOM WIRE STRIKE PENETRATED THE GROUND AND SHEARED OFF, CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO ROCK FORWARD, WHICH ALLOWED THE TAIL TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE MAIN ROTOR. THE PILOT, CHECK PILOT, AND PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRCRAFT UNINJURED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WINGLET ON THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.

METAR KJWY 131615Z AUTO 01005KT 10SM OVC049 19/12 A3036 RMK AO2 T01870119