# NTSB DEN02LA019: McDonnell Douglas MD 902, N902AM, Aurora, CO, January 11, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 11, 2002, 08:40 local (15:40 UTC) - Place: Aurora, CO - Coordinates: 39.739559, -104.859054 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7396&lon=-104.8591&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 6, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 54035 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA019 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54035/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54035 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA019 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control due to inadvertent settling with power resulting in a hard landing. Contributing factors include the improperly planned approach, the high density altitude, and the encounter with vortex ring state. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, descent - weather condition - high density altitude (contributing factor) - planned approach - improper, pilot in command(cfi) (contributing factor) - vortex ring state - encountered, pilot in command(cfi) (contributing factor) - settling with power - inadvertent, pilot in command(cfi) (cause) - Hard landing, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - open field ## Analysis An instructor pilot was conducting transition training and was demonstrating emergency procedures on anti-torque malfunctions and loss of thrust/fixed pedal settings. After reaching a final approach position at approximately 100 feet agl, he began to demonstrate how to complete an approach with an "Anti-Torque Failure - Fixed Thruster Setting." He established the helicopter on a "shallow" approach angle with a deceleration attitude of approximately 15 to 20 degrees nose up and approximately 300 feet per minute rate of descent. The flight profile "appeared normal" until about 50 to 60 feet above ground level when the helicopter started to descend at a higher than desired rate for demonstration. The pilot applied collective lever control and a shudder was felt in the rotor system, followed by an increase in descent rate. Collective lever application could not arrest the descent. The helicopter struck the ground hard in a nose high attitude, ballooned into the air approximately 3 to 5 feet and slowly rotated approximately 360 degrees. The "thruster" was jammed in the neutral position, but he had no problem landing the helicopter from a hover with power. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the Notar Anti-Torque rotating thruster cone, the aft cross tube, and both landing gear skids. ## Factual narrative On January 11, 2002, at approximately 0840 mountain standard time, a McDonnell Douglas MD 902 helicopter, N902AM, operated by MD Helicopters, was substantially damaged during a hard landing in a field near Aurora, Colorado. The flight instructor, a pilot receiving instruction, and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for this local training flight being conducted under Title 14, CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado, at approximately 0750. According to the instructor, he was conducting transition training and was demonstrating emergency procedures on anti-torque malfunctions and loss of thrust/fixed pedal settings. After reaching final approach at approximately 80 knots forward airspeed, and at approximately 100 feet above ground level, he began to demonstrate how to complete an approach with a loss of directional control or "Anti-Torque Failure- Fixed Thruster Setting." He identified an intended termination area, and established the helicopter on a "shallow" approach angle with a deceleration attitude of approximately 15 to 20 degrees nose up and approximately 300 feet per minute rate of descent. The flight profile "appeared normal" until about 50 to 60 feet above ground level when the helicopter started to descend at a higher than desired rate for demonstration. The pilot applied collective lever control and a shudder was felt in the rotor system, followed by an increase in descent rate. Collective lever application could not arrest the descent. The helicopter struck the ground hard in a nose high attitude, ballooned into the air approximately 3 to 5 feet and slowly rotated approximately 360 degrees. The "thruster" was jammed in the neutral position and the "fan would stall making popping sounds," but he had no problem landing the helicopter from a hover with power. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the Notar (No Tail Rotor) Anti-Torque rotating thruster cone, the aft cross tube, and both landing gear skids. The pilot stated that he encountered "vortex-ring-state" while trying to slow the helicopter, and that it "put me on the ground at a very high rate of descent." The initial higher rate of descent may have been due to the higher density altitude at the training site than is normally encountered at his home station in Mesa, Arizona. At 0853, the reported weather at Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colorado (approximately 12 nautical miles west of the accident site, and at an elevation of 5,883 feel msl) was, wind, 220 degrees at 8 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; sky condition, few at 12,000 feet; temperature, 7 degrees C. (44.6 degrees F.); dew point, minus 12 degrees C. (10.4 degrees F.); altimeter setting, 30.24. The calculated density altitude was 6,022 feet msl. ## Aircraft - Registration: N902AM (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: McDonnell Douglas MD 902 - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 900-00092 - Airframe hours: 38.01 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney PCE-BG0026 800 horsepower turbo shaft; Pratt & Whitney PCE-BG0027 800 horsepower turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: MD Helicopters - Registered owner: Zion Credit Corporation - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, January 3, 2002, 38.01 hours before - Departed: APA, Englewood, CO - Destination: APA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Flight instructor; age 41; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: helicopter; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review February 18, 2000; seat: left; flight hours: 9,436 total, 229 in this make and model, 9,200 as pilot in command, 146 in the last 90 days, 37 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours - Co-pilot; age 46; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane, helicopter; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review August 30, 2001; seat: right; flight hours: 3,933 total, 4 in this make and model, 2,856 as pilot in command, 4 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 220° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 250 ft broken - Temperature: 37 °F, dew point 10 °F - Altimeter: 30.23 inHg - Observed at: APA, 12 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020111000429A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020111000429A), Jan 11, 2002: Doug MD900, Aurora, CO, No damage. (-23) Pilot was instructing and demonstrating a loss of anti-torque maneuver. The aircraft developed a high sink rate and the pilot was unable to recover in… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 29, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54035. 534 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 343 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40378832&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Witness Statements (item 2, .PDF, 77 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40378835&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statements-Redacted.PDF - Maps or Charts of Accident Area, Wreckage Diagrams (item 3, .PDF, 91 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40167126&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maps%20or%20Charts%20of%20Accident%20Area,%20Wreckage%20Diagrams-Master.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 4, .PDF, 23 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40167130&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.