20230523004289A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 · Abbeville, LA · May 23, 2023

Date: May 23, 2023 · 10:15 local
Place: Abbeville, LA
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: HEEA
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N451PH
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN23LA199
Reported as: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407
Reported engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C47B
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,689 total714 in this make and model35 in the last 90 days

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.

During autorotation practices for a pilot in training (three had been performed with no touch down but the last autorotation was to be performed as a touch down) at the Abbeville airport in the grass area adjacent to runway 16. The last helicopter autorotation to touch down resulted in the helicopter hitting the ground hard, spreading the gear out and the main rotor blades contacting the tail boom, cutting off the last three feet.

As the FAA filed it

DURING AUTOROTATION PRACTICES FOR A PILOT IN TRAINING (THREE HAD BEEN PERFORMED WITH NO TOUCH DOWN BUT THE LAST AUTOROTATION WAS TO BE PERFORMED AS A TOUCH DOWN) AT THE ABBEVILLE AIRPORT IN THE GRASS AREA ADJACENT TO RUNWAY 16. THE LAST HELICOPTER AUTOROTATION TO TOUCH DOWN RESULTED IN THE HELICOPTER HITTING THE GROUND HARD, SPREADING THE GEAR OUT AND THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTING THE TAIL BOOM, CUTTING OFF THE LAST THREE FEET.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN23LA199Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportAbbeville, LAThe pilot’s failure to maintain proper helicopter control during autorotation that resulted in an abnormal ground contact which caused the subsequent main rotor strike on the tail boom that severed the tail rotor driveshaft. Contributing to the accident was…May 23, 2023 · Substantial damage