- Date
- October 29, 1989, 08:05 local (13:05 UTC)
- Place
- Plymouth, IN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N500CDBell 47G-2A-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891029043569A
- Case key
- 14586
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 student's improper use of the cyclic control and the instructor's (cfi's) inadequate supervision.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During a biennial flt review (bfr) for the left seat plt, svrl practice autorotations were performed. The CFI (right seat plt) rprtd that the bfr was progressing very well until the helicopter touched down on a sod taxiway after the final autorotation. He rprtd the touchdown was soft, but immediately after touchdown, aft cyclic was applied . . .' The main rotor blades came in contact with the tail boom & severed it. The CFI rprtd the accident was unexpected & occurred so quickly that he was unable to intervene. The bfr plt had a total flt time of 344 hrs with 310 hrs in this make & model. The CFI stated the wx was clear with calm winds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N500CD
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2A-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3458
- Airframe hours
- 5,453
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Marshall County Civil Defense
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1989 · 103 hours before
- Departed
- 52II · Plymouth, IN
- Airport
- C65 · Plymouth Muni
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,934 total · 200 in this make and model · 4,315 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBN, 21 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.