- Date
- May 1, 2014, 11:11 local (15:11 UTC)
- Place
- Lumberton, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N119HFAgusta Aerospace AW119 Mkii
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140501006079A
- Case key
- 89150
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 flightcrew's improper recovery from a simulated engine failure after takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's failure to clarify who had control of the helicopter.
Findings · 3
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 flight instructor, he gave the pilot under instruction (PUI) a simulated engine failure after takeoff when the helicopter reached approximately 50 knots. The PUI pulled the cyclic aft and increased collective. The flight instructor joined the PUI on the controls to prevent him from pulling too much collective and to lower the helicopter's nose to a level attitude. Both pilots were on the controls as the collective was increased to cushion the landing. The helicopter landed on the paved runway's centerline, and as it slid across what the pilots described as an uneven surface, it began to porpoise. The flight instructor lowered the collective to slow the slide and heard a noise, then the helicopter began vibrate and turned 220 degrees to the right before coming to a stop. During the slide, a main rotor blade cut off the tail boom. Neither pilot reported any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the flight instructor, he gave the pilot under instruction (PUI) a simulated engine failure after takeoff when the helicopter reached approximately 50 knots. The PUI pulled the cyclic aft and increased collective. The flight instructor joined the PUI on the controls to prevent him from pulling too much collective and to lower the helicopter's nose to a level attitude. Both pilots were on the controls as the collective was increased to cushion the landing. The helicopter landed on the paved runway's centerline, and as it slid across what the pilots described as an uneven surface, it began to porpoise. The flight instructor lowered the collective to slow the slide and heard a noise, then the helicopter began vibrate and turned 220 degrees to the right before coming to a stop. During the slide, a main rotor blade cut off the tail boom. Neither pilot reported any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N119HF
- Reported as
- Agusta Aerospace AW119 Mkii
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 14719
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 1,511
- Engines
- P&W Canada PT6B-37A, 900 horsepower, turbo shaftP&W Canada PT6B-37A, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Agustawestland Philadelphia Corp
- Registered owner
- Agustawestland Philadelphia Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 25, 2014 · 29 hours before
- Departed
- PNE · Philadelphia, PA
- Destination
- VAY · Lumberton, NJ
- Airport
- VAY · South Jersey Rgnl, runway 26, 3,881 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,319 total · 553 in this make and model · 4,600 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Foreign
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 13, 2014
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 6 in this make and model · 75 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- VAY
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 11, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 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.