- Date
- May 9, 2000, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N14408Bell 47G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000509014449A
- Case key
- 49203
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 improper touchdown performed by the flight instructor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During a touchdown autorotation, which the flight instructor was demonstrating, the helicopter touched down with forward movement. As the helicopter was sliding along the ground, it suddenly stopped and went up onto the toes of the skids before settling back onto the skids. During the event, the main rotor blades struck the tailboom forward of the tailrotor area and severed the tailboom
Factual narrative
On May 9, 2000, at 1730 central daylight time, a Bell 47G helicopter, N14408, was substantially damaged when it nosed down during a practice autorotation at the Stinson Municipal Airport near San Antonio, Texas. The helicopter was owned by Stinson Flight Center, LLC, and operated by Stinson Air Center, LLC, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot and the pilot rated student were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated at the Stinson Municipal Airport, at 1700.
During a touchdown autorotation, which the flight instructor was demonstrating, the helicopter touched down with forward movement. As the helicopter was sliding along the ground, it suddenly stopped and went up on the toes of the skids before settling back onto the skids. During the event, the main rotor blades struck the tailboom forward of the tailrotor area and severed the tailboom. The operator reported that both main rotor blades, the front skid crossboom, the tailrotor gearbox, and both tailrotor blades sustained damage.
The FAA inspector who examined the accident site, reported that the grass area north of runway 9 had minute indentations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14408
- Reported as
- Bell 47G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 988
- Airframe hours
- 710
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Stinson Air Center LLC
- Registered owner
- Stinson Flight Center, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 2000
- Departed
- SSF
- Airport
- SSF · Stinson Municipal
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,745 total · 350 in this make and model · 1,435 as pilot in command · 105 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SSF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.