What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Tuesday March 21, 2023 privacy data omitted, a Bell 47G-2A-1 crashed into a field with one pilot and one passenger aboard during a practice autorotation. No personal injuries or property damage resulted. The helicopter was substantially damaged.
The pilot was seated in the left seat, which is standard for the Bell 47, while the passenger was seated in the right seat. The dual controls were installed. The pilot was demonstrating autorotations to the passenger, his nephew. The first few were into the wind, and then the pilot was queried about tailwind autorotations by his nephew, who is currently a student pilot taking airplane lessons. The pilot practices tailwind autorotations and told the nephew that tailwind autorotations can be done but that control input and recovery must be more aggressive because of the increased ground speed and descent rate. The pilot began to demonstrate a ‘tailwind autorotation’ to a different landing area than what they had been using, a field across the street from the pilot’s residence.
The pilot entered the autorotation while turning base to final – with final being directly downwind. The helicopter initially lost airspeed and the pilot immediately corrected with forward cyclic input, which also increased his descent rate. The pilot assessed that he had good airspeed and good rotor energy and continued the maneuver. The pilot continued to be aware of the higher-than-normal rate of descent and began the power recovery earlier than normal, but the power recovery was done at a low altitude and the pilot then noticed the slope, describing it as “so minimal you just can’t see it unless you are on the ground”. The helicopter continued to fall through the last bit of altitude, and the pilot reported that he was likely in vortex ring state, otherwise known as settling with power. The tail contacted the ground in the bottom of the maneuver during the power recovery and flare – power had been applied. When the tail stinger and tail rotor contacted the ground both were damaged, causing an uncontrolled yaw to the right. The pilot reported loss of tail rotor effectiveness during this time. The helicopter rotated either 1.5 or 2.5 rotations and the pilot pulled power off to stop the rotations and landed hard, falling again through the last bit of altitude. The aircraft came to rest level on the skids and 180 degrees in the opposite direction of travel. Due to the hard landing, the skids were buried deep in the mud with the bottom of the fuselage and engine (located low at the tail boom attachment) also resting on the ground.
As the FAA filed it
ON TUESDAY MARCH 21, 2023 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A BELL 47G-2A-1 CRASHED INTO A FIELD WITH ONE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER ABOARD DURING A PRACTICE AUTOROTATION. NO PERSONAL INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE RESULTED. THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
THE PILOT WAS SEATED IN THE LEFT SEAT, WHICH IS STANDARD FOR THE BELL 47, WHILE THE PASSENGER WAS SEATED IN THE RIGHT SEAT. THE DUAL CONTROLS WERE INSTALLED. THE PILOT WAS DEMONSTRATING AUTOROTATIONS TO THE PASSENGER, HIS NEPHEW. THE FIRST FEW WERE INTO THE WIND, AND THEN THE PILOT WAS QUERIED ABOUT TAILWIND AUTOROTATIONS BY HIS NEPHEW, WHO IS CURRENTLY A STUDENT PILOT TAKING AIRPLANE LESSONS. THE PILOT PRACTICES TAILWIND AUTOROTATIONS AND TOLD THE NEPHEW THAT TAILWIND AUTOROTATIONS CAN BE DONE BUT THAT CONTROL INPUT AND RECOVERY MUST BE MORE AGGRESSIVE BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED GROUND SPEED AND DESCENT RATE. THE PILOT BEGAN TO DEMONSTRATE A ‘TAILWIND AUTOROTATION’ TO A DIFFERENT LANDING AREA THAN WHAT THEY HAD BEEN USING, A FIELD ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PILOT’S RESIDENCE.
THE PILOT ENTERED THE AUTOROTATION WHILE TURNING BASE TO FINAL – WITH FINAL BEING DIRECTLY DOWNWIND. THE HELICOPTER INITIALLY LOST AIRSPEED AND THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED WITH FORWARD CYCLIC INPUT, WHICH ALSO INCREASED HIS DESCENT RATE. THE PILOT ASSESSED THAT HE HAD GOOD AIRSPEED AND GOOD ROTOR ENERGY AND CONTINUED THE MANEUVER. THE PILOT CONTINUED TO BE AWARE OF THE HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL RATE OF DESCENT AND BEGAN THE POWER RECOVERY EARLIER THAN NORMAL, BUT THE POWER RECOVERY WAS DONE AT A LOW ALTITUDE AND THE PILOT THEN NOTICED THE SLOPE, DESCRIBING IT AS “SO MINIMAL YOU JUST CAN’T SEE IT UNLESS YOU ARE ON THE GROUND”. THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED TO FALL THROUGH THE LAST BIT OF ALTITUDE, AND THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS LIKELY IN VORTEX RING STATE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SETTLING WITH POWER. THE TAIL CONTACTED THE GROUND IN THE BOTTOM OF THE MANEUVER DURING THE POWER RECOVERY AND FLARE – POWER HAD BEEN APPLIED. WHEN THE TAIL STINGER AND TAIL ROTOR CONTACTED THE GROUND BOTH WERE DAMAGED, CAUSING AN UNCONTROLLED YAW TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT REPORTED LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS DURING THIS TIME. THE HELICOPTER ROTATED EITHER 1.5 OR 2.5 ROTATIONS AND THE PILOT PULLED POWER OFF TO STOP THE ROTATIONS AND LANDED HARD, FALLING AGAIN THROUGH THE LAST BIT OF ALTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST LEVEL ON THE SKIDS AND 180 DEGREES IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. DUE TO THE HARD LANDING, THE SKIDS WERE BURIED DEEP IN THE MUD WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE AND ENGINE (LOCATED LOW AT THE TAIL BOOM ATTACHMENT) ALSO RESTING ON THE GROUND.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.