- Date
- September 30, 2024, 11:30 UTC
- Place
- Manvel, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N8372FMcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240930015339A
- Case key
- 195232
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 improper recovery from a practice autorotation which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the instructor’s inadequate supervision of the pilot receiving instruction.
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
During an instructional flight, the operator reported that during the practice autorotation, the pilot receiving instruction held the flare for too long and did not level the helicopter before touchdown. The helicopter landed hard and struck the tail on the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage, tail boom, and tail rotor drive system. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions of failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8372F
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0488E
- Built
- 1991
- Airframe hours
- 22,070
- Engine
- Rolls Royce 250C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- City Of Houston Police Department
- Registered owner
- City Of Houston Police Department
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 11, 2024
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 3T2 · Wolfe Airpark, runway 20, 2,910 × 80 ft, grass/turf
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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 4, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,307 total · 1,119 in this make and model · 1,227 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 27, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,360 total · 3,421 in this make and model · 4,177 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KLVJ, 5 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLVJ 301653Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 32/18 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP149 T03220178=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 21, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.
Other investigations on N8372F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.