- Date
- December 21, 2014, 12:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Miami Gardens, FL
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N430WHBell 430
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 27, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20141221023231A
- Case key
- 90531
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 pilot's misjudgment of his helicopter's position relative to a parked helicopter during a pedal turn.
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 pilot, he made a "normal" approach to a helipad and subsequently hover-taxied to the parking area. Two other helicopters were parked on opposite sides of the parking area, and per existing procedures, the pilot hover-taxied his helicopter to the center of the parking area and commenced a pedal turn to align it with the others. About 90 degrees through the turn, a tail rotor blade from the pilot's helicopter impacted a main rotor blade tip on one of the parked helicopters, resulting in substantial damage to the tail rotor blade. The pilot subsequently completed the turn and landed without further incident. The pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he flew a "normal" approach to the helicopter pad, then hover-taxied to the parking area. Two other helicopters were parked at the far edges on opposite sides of the parking area. Following a procedure that had been developed over the previous 10 years and executed over 20 times without incident, the pilot hover-taxied into the center position and began a pedal turn to align the helicopter with the others. About 90 degrees through the pedal turn, the tail rotor of the pilot's helicopter contacted a main rotor blade tip of one of the parked helicopters, resulting in substantial damage to a tail rotor blade. The pilot completed the pedal turn and landed uneventfully. The pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N430WH
- Reported as
- Bell 430
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 49114
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 871
- Engines
- Rolls Royce 250C40B, 850 horsepower, turbo shaftRolls Royce 250C40B, 850 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Southern Aircraft Services Inc
- Registered owner
- Southern Aircraft Services Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 6, 2014 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- SUA · Stuart, FL
- Destination
- 0FD2 · Miami Gardens, FL
- Airport
- 0FD2 · Dolphin Stadium Helipad
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 29, 2014
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 6,530 total · 450 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- HWO, 3 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 9, 2015, 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.