- Date
- July 15, 2014, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Praire, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N350GPAmerican Eurocopter AS350B3
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 89671
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 flight instructor's inadequate supervision during a practice autorotation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's hard landing during a practice autorotation.
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 flight was scheduled as recurrent training in helicopters; the foreign rated pilot was accompanied by a flight instructor, and an interpreter and observer who were seated in the back seats. After a series of maneuvers, the foreign pilot conducted a hovering autorotation, following directions from the flight instructor which were translated by the interpreter. During the autorotation, the helicopter yawed slightly right and settled to the ground. The instructor and observer noted that the landing did not feel that hard, but more like a firm or rough landing. The training flight continued with several other autorotations. During a post flight inspection of the helicopter, several wrinkles were found in the tail boom of the helicopter. Further examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail boom had sustained substantial damage.
Factual narrative
The flight was scheduled as recurrent training in helicopters; the foreign rated pilot was accompanied by a flight instructor, and an interpreter and observer who were seated in the back seats. After a series of maneuvers, the foreign pilot conducted a hovering autorotation, following directions from the flight instructor which were translated by the interpreter. During the autorotation, the helicopter yawed slightly right and settled to the ground. The instructor and observer noted that the landing did not feel that hard, but more like a firm or rough landing. The training flight continued with several other autorotations. During a post flight inspection of the helicopter, several wrinkles were found in the tail boom of the helicopter. Further examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail boom had sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N350GP
- Reported as
- American Eurocopter AS350B3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7240
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 359
- Engine
- Turbomeca Arriel 2D, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Airbus Helicopters Inc
- Registered owner
- Airbus Helicopters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 14, 2014
- Departed
- KGPM · Grand Praire, TX
- Destination
- KGPM · Grand Praire, TX
- Airport
- KGPM · Grand Prairie Manicipal
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 7,752 total · 192 in this make and model · 7,185 as pilot in command · 71 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Foreign
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 3, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 MB in all.