- Date
- May 6, 1989, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tulsa, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6330DBell 47L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890506011089I
- Case key
- 22862
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
Inadequate supervision of the student by the instructor in that he allowed the student to overpower his control inputs after an unexpected gust of wind moved the tail of the helicopter.
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
The instructor pilot said he and a beginner student were in a hover practice area and were repositioning the helicopter to allow another helicopter to hover out from the ramp. He said he allowed the student to follow him on the controls, and during the hover landing, a gust of wind caused the tail to pitch up. An unexpected control input by the student caused an overcorrection which allowed the tail rotor to strike the ground. There was damage to the tail rotor, the skids, and the bubble canopy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6330D
- Reported as
- Bell 47L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1044
- Airframe hours
- 7,377
- Engine
- Franklin 6V-335-A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Allied Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Allied Helicopter Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1989
- Departed
- 5F2
- Airport
- 5F2 · Downtown Airpark
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,448 total · 950 in this make and model · 6,013 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.