- Date
- March 21, 2023, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Livonia, NY · farm field flat terrain
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73905Bell 47G-2A-1
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- 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
- 20230321002479A
- Case key
- 106929
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 delayed action to arrest the high descent rate during a practice autorotation in tailwind conditions which ultimately resulted in loss of control.
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
During a practice autorotation with a tail wind, the pilot began the maneuver and the helicopter initially lost airspeed; the pilot immediately corrected with forward cyclic input, which also increased his descent rate. The higher than normal descent rate continued, and he began the power recovery earlier than normal. Shortly before touchdown, the pilot noticed a slope in the terrain with the rising side to his aft. The helicopter continued to descend and the helicopter’s tail rotor contacted the ground during the landing flare. The resulting impact resulted in a loss of control and substantial damage to the tail boom and tail rotor. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73905
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2A-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2860
- Built
- 1963
- Airframe hours
- 9,400
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frost Hollow Helicopter LLC
- Registered owner
- Frost Hollow Helicopter LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 3, 2022 · 10 hours before
- Airport
- N/A
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 460 in this make and model
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 14 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.30 inHg
- Observed at
- ROC, 18 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KROC 211754Z 26014G25KT 230V300 10SM SCT090 11/M04 A3030 RMK AO2 SLP267 T01061044 10106 20022 50005=
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 23, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.3 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.