- Date
- February 27, 2009, 15:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N2592TBell 407
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 12, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 73478
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 failure of the pilot to maintain adequate main rotor rpm and the failure of the CFI to provide appropriate instruction during the maneuver.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The commercial pilot was practicing a forced landing with a certified flight instructor (CFI) providing instruction. After the maneuver was initiated, the CFI recognized the helicopter was not settling quickly enough so he limited the amount of collective the commercial pilot could apply. As the helicopter slowed, the main rotor revolutions per minute (rpm) slowed. After the rear of the skids touched down the main rotor rpm continued to decay, and the front of the skids dropped eight to 10 inches onto the runway. During the landing two main rotor blades contacted both auxiliary fins on the tail boom. Examination of the damaged main rotor blades revealed substantial damage due to delamination and inner core damage on both blades.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot was practicing a forced landing with a certified flight instructor (CFI) providing instruction. After the maneuver was initiated, the CFI recognized the helicopter was not settling quickly enough so he limited the amount of collective the commercial pilot could apply. As the helicopter slowed, the main rotor revolutions per minute (rpm) slowed. After the rear of the skids touched down the main rotor rpm continued to decay, and the front of the skids dropped eight to 10 inches onto the runway. During the landing two main rotor blades contacted both auxiliary fins on the tail boom. Examination of the damaged main rotor blades revealed substantial damage due to delamination and inner core damage on both blades.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2592T
- Reported as
- Bell 407
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 53748
- Airframe hours
- 937
- Engine
- Rolls Royce 250-C47B, 814 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- City Of Dallas, doing business as Dallas Police Department
- Registered owner
- City Of Dallas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 6, 2009
- Departed
- RBD · Dallas Exec Air, TX
- Destination
- RBD · Dallas Exec Air, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KLNC · Lancaster Airport, runway 31, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 7, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,056 total · 300 in this make and model · 3,975 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 31, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 420 total · 20 in this make and model · 291 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Observed at
- RBD, 10 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 30, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 487 KB in all.