- Date
- June 6, 1983, 16:45 local (Jun 7, 1983, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6140CBell B47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19830607022309A
- Case key
- 4027
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The helicopter experienced a tail rotor strike during a hard landing with a door open. According to the student pilot who is a commercial pilot working on an add-on helicopter rating, the left cockpit door unlatched and partially opened on the downwind leg for touch-and-go practice landing. She continued the pattern and final approach with the door unlatched without further incident. She expected the door to fully open just prior to touchdown which it did. As the door opened she applied aft cyclic and felt the skids touch down harder than normal. The helicopter slid forward a shortdistance while remaining aligned with the runway. When the acft stopped the pilot looked out and noticed the tail rotor had separated from the helicopter. Inspection of the door latch showed a worn latch assembly which was difficult to close properly. Inspection of the runway surface revealed a tailrotor/guard strike prior to acfts main skids touching the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6140C
- Reported as
- Bell B47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 415-31
- Airframe hours
- 7,870
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wilburs, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 10, 1983 · 46 hours before
- Departed
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- CSR · Campbell Airstrip, runway 2, 5,000 × 150 ft, dirt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 516 total · 32 in this make and model · 345 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6140C · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.