ATL93FA127

The helicopter pilot had attained 9 hours of flight time in this make & model of aircraft. He was attempting a downwind landing in a confined area of the Talladega super speedway, although open & unconfined areas were located nearby. The site was 168 feet long & 105 feet wide, and was surrounded on all sides by tall fences & power lines. Witnesses stated that just before touchdown in the confined area, the helicopter began to oscillate from side to side. The helicopter then ascended to a height of about 25 feet, then it began to spin in a counterclockwise direction. The right front seat passenger recalled bracing his hands on the console & door of the helicopter during the event; however, he did not recall the position of his feet during the event. Examination of the aircraft did not reveal any preimpact malfunction of the tail rotor system. Metallurgical exam of fractures on the collective stick, collective stick housing, collective push-pull rod & rod end from the rotor head revealed no evidence of progressive cracking (before impact).

History of flight

On July 12, 1993, about 1455 central daylight time, a Hughes 369HS, N9116F, was substantially damaged following a collision with terrain during a landing attempt at the Talladega Super Speedway in Talladega, Alabama. The private pilot was fatally injured, and his passenger received serious injuries in the accident. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight. The flight departed Birmingham, Alabama about 1415.

Witnesses stated the aircraft approached the intended landing area from the south to the north at an altitude of about 50 feet. Once over the landing area, the aircraft began to descend very slowly from a 50 foot hover to approximately one foot above the terrain. At that point, the aircraft began to oscillate from side to side and then climbed to an altitude of approximately 25 feet. After climbing, the aircraft began to rotate in a counter clockwise direction. The aircraft then banked sharply to the left and impacted the terrain and a 10 foot fence adjacent to the original intended landing site.

The right front seat passenger on the aircraft stated that the approach seemed to be normal until about 6 inches to one foot above the ground. He said that at that point the helicopter appeared to turn to the right approximately 30 degrees, and then rapidly ascended to a height above the power line poles. He stated that at that point, the ride became very violent, and he became scared. He recalled bracing his hands on the console and the right door of the aircraft, however he gave no indication of where he braced his feet during the event. He stated that the aircraft impacted the terrain on the left side.(See Record of Interview of Mr. Red Farmer by FAA Inspector Jerry Yates.)

Personnel information

The pilot, Mr. David C. Allison, was employed as a race car driver. He held a private pilot's certificate with airplane single engine, multiengine, helicopter, and instrument airplane ratings.

Mr. Allison had accumulated approximately 1073 hours of flight time. He received his helicopter rating in July of 1992, and had accumulated approximately 54 hours of flight time in helicopters. He had flown approximately 9 hours in the Hughes 369HS and the remaining flight time was accumulated during training for his helicopter rating in a Robinson R-22.

Mr. Allison's flight experience in the Hughes 369HS consisted of 2.8 hours of flight instruction. Mr. Allison's flight instructor stated that during the flight training in the 369HS, take-off and landings, autorotations to power recovery, and quick stop procedures were practiced. He stated that at no time during the training, had they practiced down wind landings. He stated that at the completion of the two training sessions, Mr. Allison had stated to him that he intended to fly the helicopter to his(Mr. Allison's) residence and park it until after the race at Talladega. At that time, Mr. Allison, would make an appointment with the flight instructor to complete a thorough check out in the helicopter prior to conducting any flights with passengers.(See Record of Conversation With Mr. John Corley Attached to this Report.)

Insurance companies were contacted on behalf of Mr. Allison, and asked to provide a quotation of premium for coverage on the Hughes 369HS helicopter. One company who offered a quotation, would have required Mr. Allison to complete 25 hours of flight training in the Hughes 369HS prior to solo flight, and 25 hours of solo flight prior to carriage of passengers.(See Insurance Quotation from Aviation Insurance Managers Attached to this Report.)

Additional pilot information may be obtained in this report on page 3 under Pilot Information.

Aircraft information

The Hughes 369HS is a five place utility category helicopter powered by an Allison Model 250-C20 engine.

The last annual inspection of N9116F was completed on August 21, 1992, at a total time of 4159.7 hours of operation. No documentation of aircraft maintenance or flight time after that date was received.

The aircraft records do not indicate that the following Mandatory Service Notices had been complied with.

1. HN-235 Engine air inlet inspection/rework 3/20/93 2. HN-224 Replacement of tail rotor pitch arm nuts 6/15/90 3. HN-213 Replace particle separator door 12/18/87 4. HN-198.1 Corrosion inspection main rotor driveshaft 9/30/87 5. HN-196 Inspect landing gear/struts 10/01/84 6. HN-190 Battery case inspection 10/28/83 7. HN-189.1 Inspect/rework fuel shutoff valve 8/20/84 8. HN-188 Install sleeve on tail rotor output shaft 5/21/83 9. HN-187.1 Install collective support strap 11/23/83

An Aircraft Bill of Sale dated June 21, 1993, showed the aircraft was purchased from Stevens Racing Products by Davey Allison Racing Enterprises, Inc.

Additional aircraft information may be obtained in this report on page 2 under section titled Aircraft Information.

Meteorological information

Witnesses reported that at the time of the accident, the wind at the Talladega Super Speedway was blowing from south to north.

Additional meteorological information may be obtained in this report on pages 3 and 4 under section titled Weather Information.

Aerodrome information

The Talladega Super Speedway is not a certificated airport. The Talladega Super Speedway is a large stock car racing complex consisting of several thousand acres of open land. Located on the west side of the racetrack are the stands and race car pit area. In the race car pit area, there are several buildings, and many above ground power lines and tall fences.(See Talladega Super Speedway Diagram for Detail.)

Witnesses stated that the aircraft was attempting a landing in a confined area of the race car pit area called the Media Parking Lot. The Media Parking Lot is an asphalt paved area approximately 168 feet in length and 105 feet in width. The area is bounded on the south, east, and north by a 10 foot high fence. The west end of the area is bounded by a power line approximately 26 feet high.(See Enlarged Section of Talladega Super Speedway Diagram Showing Accident Area for Detail.)

Wreckage and impact information

The wreckage was located just north of the original intended landing area (Media Parking). A section of a ten foot chain link fence had been damaged. Pieces of the aircraft were found as much as 115 feet from the main wreckage.(See Attached Wreckage Distribution Diagram for Detail.)

There was crushing of the airframe from station (sta.) 50 and water line (wl) 15 below the left pilot door upward across the pilot's door. There was some crushing of the left door and the canopy frame. The forward canopies and cabin overhead canopies were all fractured. The left front door was intact and attached to the airframe, but the Plexiglass was broken and the door was buckled in numerous locations. The right front door was intact, but was detached from the frame, and lying adjacent to the wreckage. The 'A' frame assembly (sta. 78.5 to sta. 124) was intact, and generally undamaged. There were numerous compression buckles in the airframe skin along both sides of the aircraft. Both left skid struts were fractured. The aft left skid tube was fractured just below the step assembly. The front left skid tube was fractured just below the airframe exit point. Both skid tubes were separated from the aircraft, but remained primarily undamaged. The aft cargo or passenger compartment was intact. There was no evidence of shoulder straps available for use by the aircraft occupants.

The main rotor blades all exhibited lead lag bending and spanwise torsional twisting. All four blade roots remained attached to the hub and did not show significant damage at the root end. The green blade was fracture