- Date
- February 24, 2011, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Ridgeland, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N796MBell 206
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110224001899A
- Case key
- 78424
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 certified flight instructor's delayed remedial action during a practice autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 1
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
According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), the student pilot was conducting a practice autorotation with a planned power recovery. The helicopter’s rotor rpm was maintained throughout the maneuver and the student pilot initiated the flare during the recovery stage. The student failed to increase the throttle and the CFI did not react in time to add engine power in order to recover. The CFI subsequently took authority of the flight controls and the helicopter landed hard. The main rotor contacted the tail boom, resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor drive shaft, and tail rotor control rod. The CFI stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
According to the certificated flight instructor (CFI), the student pilot was conducting a practice straight-in autorotation with a planned power recovery from an altitude of 1,000 feet. The CFI stated that the helicopter’s rotor rpm was maintained throughout the maneuver. The student pilot initiated the flare during the recovery stage of the maneuver, but did not apply throttle, and the CFI did not react in time to add power in order to recover. The CFI subsequently took the controls and the helicopter landed hard. The main rotor contacted the tail boom, resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor drive shaft, and tail rotor control rod. The CFI stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N796M
- Reported as
- Bell 206 (B)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3396
- Engine
- Rolls Royce C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Lady Alice Corp
- Registered owner
- Lady Alice Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 23, 2010 · 51 hours before
- Departed
- SAV · Savannah, GA
- Destination
- 3J1 · Ridgeland, SC
- Airport
- 3J1 · Ridgeland Airport, runway 21, 2,692 × 70 ft, asphalt
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 27, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 421 in this make and model · 1,206 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 78 total · 78 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- NBC, 14 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 2, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.