- Date
- January 5, 2007, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bruceville, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N764PCEnstrom F28A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Fort Worth, TX
- FAA report
- 20070105000439A
- Case key
- 65128
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 instructor pilot's improper demonstration of an autorotation, resulting in the helicopter's main rotor blades impacting the ground.
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
The 1,425-hour helicopter rated flight instructor and a 130-hour private helicopter pilot lifted-off in the piston-engine powered helicopter for a local instructional flight. The flight instructor planned to demonstrate "a hovering autorotation with forward speed." The instructor reported that "after initiating the maneuver, [he] failed to level the aircraft, [and] as the aircraft descended ... the toes of the landing skids contacted the ground." The helicopter continued rotating forward until the main rotor blades impacted the ground. As the helicopter rocked back, the main rotor blades then struck the tail-rotor driveshaft. In the Recommendation section of the NTSB Form 6120.1 (How could this accident have been prevented ?), the flight instructor stated that the accident could have been prevented if "the aircraft had no forward speed", "if aircraft touched down in a level attitude, or if the maneuver had been performed over a hard surface."
Factual narrative
The 1,425-hour helicopter rated flight instructor and a 130-hour private helicopter pilot lifted-off in the piston-engine powered helicopter for a local instructional flight. The flight instructor planned to demonstrate "a hovering autorotation with forward speed." The instructor reported that "after initiating the maneuver, [he] failed to level the aircraft, [and] as the aircraft descended ... the toes of the landing skids contacted the ground." The helicopter continued rotating forward until the main rotor blades impacted the ground. As the helicopter rocked back, the main rotor blades then struck the tail-rotor driveshaft. In the Recommendation section of the NTSB Form 6120.1 (How could this accident have been prevented ?), the flight instructor stated that the accident could have been prevented if "the aircraft had no forward speed", "if aircraft touched down in a level attitude, or if the maneuver had been performed over a hard surface."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N764PC
- Reported as
- Enstrom F28A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 073
- Airframe hours
- 1,304.4
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Vista Aviation, LLC
- Registered owner
- Newco Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 1, 2006
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
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2006
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,425 total · 52 in this make and model · 1,233 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 130 total · 31 in this make and model · 70 as pilot in command · 51 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.