- Date
- April 29, 2012, 00:40 local (05:40 UTC)
- Place
- Hugo, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N406EMEurocopter AS 350 B2
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Abrupt maneuver
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Eurocopter, FAA Oklahoma City FSDO, American Eurocopter Corporation, Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) - France
- FAA report
- 20120429009119A
- Case key
- 83548
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 pilot’s inadequate collective control inputs while performing a hovering autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the check airman's delayed remedial action.
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
A check airman was giving the pilot-in-command (PIC) an annual check ride with night vision goggles in the emergency medical service helicopter. After a satisfactory slope landing, the PIC repositioned the helicopter to a flat area and performed a hovering autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. The check airman then demonstrated a second hovering autorotation, and the PIC performed another hovering autorotation that was satisfactory. The check airman continued the annual check ride. After the flight, during a post-flight examination, substantial damage was discovered to the tail boom and the aft portion of the fuselage. The damage was consistent with a hard landing, presumably incurred during the first hovering autorotation in which the helicopter landed hard. In a statement provided to the NTSB, the check airman said that he should have guarded the collective more to limit the amount of control input during the practice autorotation maneuvers.
Factual narrative
A check airman was giving the pilot in command a night vision goggle (NVG) annual check ride in the emergency medical service helicopter. After a satisfactory slope landing, the pilot in command repositioned the helicopter to a flat area and performed a hovering autorotation which resulted in a hard landing. The check airman then demonstrated a second hovering autorotation and the pilot in command performed a third hovering autorotation which was satisfactory. The check airman continued the annual check ride. After the flight, during a post flight inspection, substantial damage was discovered to the tail boom and the aft portion of the fuselage. The damage was consistent with a hard landing, presumably incurred during the first hovering autorotation in which the helicopter landed hard. In a statement provided to the NTSB, the check airman said that he should have guarded the collective more to limit the amount of control input during the practice autorotation maneuvers.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N406EM
- Reported as
- Eurocopter AS 350 B2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 9042
- Airframe hours
- 6,530
- Engine
- Honeywell LTS 101, 732 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Eagle Med LLC
- Registered owner
- Wells Fargo Equipment Finance Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 25, 2012
- Departed
- HHW · Hugo, OK
- Destination
- HHW · Hugo, OK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- HHW · Stan Stamper Municipal Airport
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Check pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 19, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,700 total · 500 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 15, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,960 total · 760 in this make and model · 5,560 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KPRX, 24 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 5, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB 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.