- Date
- September 23, 2009, 15:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Worth, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6040YBell 407
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090923017739A
- Case key
- 74800
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain control during landing.
Findings · 2
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 flight instructor was demonstrating a landing using the manual Full-Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) mode. While on short final, approximately 3 to 5 feet above ground level, the helicopter quickly descended right and forward. Suspecting wind shear, the flight instructor applied corrective controls but was unable to reverse the downward motion prior to ground contact. The helicopter's left rear skid, then right rear skid, contacted the ground before the flight instructor could bring the helicopter back to a hover. A postflight examination of the helicopter revealed damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail boom.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor was demonstrating a landing using the manual Full-Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) mode. While on short final, approximately 3 to 5 feet above ground level, the helicopter quickly descended right and forward. Suspecting wind shear, the flight instructor applied corrective controls, but was unable to reverse the downward motion prior to ground contact. The helicopter's left rear skid contacted the ground followed by the right rear skid before the flight instructor could bring the helicopter back to a hover. A post-flight examination of the helicopter revealed damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6040Y
- Reported as
- Bell 407
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 53371
- Airframe hours
- 5,206
- Engine
- Rolls-Royc 250-C47B, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bell Helicopter Textron
- Registered owner
- Textron Financial Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 20, 2009 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- KAFW · Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- Fort Worth, TX
- Airport
- KAFW · Fort Worth Alliance
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 6, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 22,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Foreign
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,550 total · 150 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- AFW, 5 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 3, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 682 KB in all.
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 N6040Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.