- Date
- August 22, 1995, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sidney, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9115RBell 47D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 27, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950822033149A
- Case key
- 9072
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the student pilot's abrupt touchdown while landing in a field. Related factors are the student pilot's failure to attain the proper descent rate during the approach to landing, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student.
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 student pilot stated that he was making a steep approach, with a tailwind, to a soybean field. He reported that he failed to arrest the rate of descent and the helicopter made a hard landing. The CFI stated that he '...got on the controls...' with the dual student at about 10 to 30 feet above the ground, but the aircraft continued to descend. The instructor stated that there was no mechanical malfunction and that both pilots were at the controls at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On August 22, 1995, at 1330 eastern daylight time, a Bell BH47D1 helicopter, N9115R, touched down hard while landing in a soybean field near Sidney, Ohio. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and dual student were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91, and originated from Urbana, Ohio, exact time unknown.
The student pilot reported that he made a steep approach, with a tailwind, to a spot in a soybean field. He stated that when the helicopter was about 10 feet above the ground, both he and the CFI attempted to "...pull more pitch..." to arrest the rate of descent but they were unsuccessful. The helicopter touched down hard and the main rotor blades severed the tail boom.
The CFI stated that the student pilot was at the controls making a steep approach into his field. He stated, "The approach was coming up short and I instructed [the student] to level the ship...he increased collective but the aircraft continued to descend...at about 30 feet AGL I got on the controls and applied more up collective, the aircraft continued to descend...until ground contact was made."
The instructor stated that there was no mechanical malfunction, and that both pilots were at the controls at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9115R
- Reported as
- Bell 47D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 93
- Airframe hours
- 3,926
- Engine
- Franklin 6V-335-A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roger N. Ely
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 13, 1994 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- I74 · Urbana, OH
- Destination
- PVT · OH
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 378 total · 170 in this make and model · 321 as pilot in command · 102 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °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 N9115R · 6
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.