- Date
- December 13, 2021, 16:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- Manhattan, NY · Concrete helipad
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N920PDBell Helicopter Textron Canada 429
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20211213021059A
- Case key
- 104433
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 pilots overapplication of flight controls during landing, which resulted in the rotor blades contacting the wire strike protection system and subsequent hard landing.
Findings · 2
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 reported that during landing and once established directly over the helipad, he proceeded to hover taxi over to the assigned landing location, but during touchdown the helicopter unexpectedly shifted forward, rotating onto the front skids, then began to oscillate. The crew heard a loud “bang” and subsequently the helicopter became airborne briefly before settling down hard on the pavement and the helicopter started to go into ground resonance, becoming uncontrollable. The pilot reported that the helipad was congested with several other aircraft on the ground and two preparing to land, so when the helicopter became uncontrollable, he “dumped” the collective and rolled back the throttle. During the oscillations, the main rotor blades stuck the wire strike protection system, which resulted in substantial damage to the rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N920PD
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 57233
- Built
- 2014
- Airframe hours
- 3,680
- Engines
- Pratt and Whitney Canada PW207D1, 621 horsepower, turbo shaftPratt and Whitney Canada PW207D1, 621 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft - local · Public use
- Operator
- New York City Police Department
- Registered owner
- New York City Police Department
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · December 8, 2021 · 1.2 hours before
- Departed
- FBF · Brooklyn, NY
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- JRB · Downtown Manhattan/Wall St
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight 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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 24, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,432 total · 531 in this make and model · 1,158 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 6, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,520 total · 350 in this make and model · 1,350 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- NYC, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KNYC 132151Z AUTO 23007KT 10SM CLR 11/M08 A3023 RMK AO2 SLP227 T01061078
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 24, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.9 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.