- Date
- May 31, 2003, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Broomfield, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N382SPBell 206B III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 57140
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 pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and the instructor'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
According to the instructor, he demonstrated six (three left and three right), stuck pedal approaches [simulated loss of tail rotor effectiveness]. The student took the controls and set up for a simulated stuck right pedal approach. As the student added collective lever control at the end of the approach, the nose of the helicopter yawed to the right. Approximately 2 feet above the taxiway, the student rolled off the power to control the right yaw. The helicopter settled down in a tail low attitude, the rear of both landing skids struck the taxiway, and the helicopter rocked forward. When the instructor took the controls to stabilize the landing, the helicopter became airborne and the right skid tube struck the taxiway a second time. He rolled the helicopter forward, landed on both skid tubes, and slid the helicopter to a stop. The helicopter received substantial damage to both aft cross-tube saddle mounts.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 2003 at 1430 mountain daylight time, a Bell 206B III helicopter, N382SP, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Jeffco Airport (BJC), Broomfield, Colorado. The commercial certificated flight instructor and the private pilot receiving instruction were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for this local instructional flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at approximately 1345.
According to the instructor, he demonstrated six (three left and three right), stuck pedal approaches [simulated loss of tail rotor effectiveness]. The student took the controls and set up for a simulated stuck right pedal approach to taxiway Delta. As the student added collective lever control at the end of the approach, the nose of the helicopter yawed to the right. Approximately 2 feet above the taxiway, the student rolled off the power to control the right yaw. The helicopter settled down in a tail low attitude, the rear of both landing skids struck the taxiway, and the helicopter rocked forward. When the instructor took the controls to stabilize the landing, the helicopter became airborne and the right skid tube struck the taxiway a second time. He rolled the helicopter forward, landed on both skid tubes, and slid the helicopter to a stop. The helicopter received substantial damage to both aft cross-tube saddle mounts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N382SP
- Reported as
- Bell 206B III
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2271
- Airframe hours
- 8,021.3
- Engine
- Allison 250 C20S, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bill Murphy & Tim Kosmerl
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2003 · 58.9 hours before
- Departed
- BJC
- Destination
- BJC · CO
- Airport
- BJC · Jeffco
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- February 19, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,620 total · 145 in this make and model · 1,540 as pilot in command · 225 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC