- Date
- September 1, 2016, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rikers Island, NY
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N917PDBell Helicopter Textron Canada 429
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Abrupt maneuver
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20160901015829A
- Case key
- 94004
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 overcontrolling of the helicopter during an aborted slope landing from a hover, which resulted in a main rotor blade strike.
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
The pilot was landing the helicopter on a nose-up slope when he "noticed the helicopter started to tilt aft." As the pilot "immediately" increased collective pitch and applied forward cyclic to abort the landing, three of the four main rotor blades struck the wire strike protection system on the cabin roof, which resulted in substantial damage to the blades. Representatives from the helicopter manufacturer examined the helicopter, replaced the three damaged rotor blades, and then returned the helicopter to service. According to the pilot, there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter that would have prevented normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing the helicopter on a nose-up slope when he "noticed the helicopter started to tilt aft." As the pilot "immediately" increased collective pitch and applied forward cyclic to abort the landing, 3 of 4 main rotor blades struck the wire strike protection system on the cabin roof, which resulted in substantial damage to the blades. Representatives from the helicopter manufacturer inspected the helicopter, replaced the 3 damaged rotor blades, and the helicopter was returned to service. According to the pilot, there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter that prevented normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N917PD
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 57148
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 1,491.6
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney PW207D1, 550 horsepower, turbo shaftPratt & Whitney PW207D1, 550 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Public use
- Operator
- New York City Police Department
- Registered owner
- New York City Police Department
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 19, 2016 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- JRB · New York, NY
- Destination
- Rikers Island, NY
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Auto-pilot, Data recorder, Electronic multifunction display
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 4, 2016
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,015 total · 200 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Other flight crew
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 21, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 198 total · 0 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,400 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- KLGA
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 12, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 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.