- Date
- May 26, 1989, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ardmore, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2202CBell 47D-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890526059139A
- Case key
- 22872
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 flight instructor failed to recognize that the aircraft was developing a dangerous sink rate during the autorotation and take corrective action by executing a power recovery. Contributing to the accident were the gusty wind conditions.
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
Acft was damaged as a result of a hard lndg during a practice touchdown autorotation that was being demonstrated by the CFI to the student plt. Winds had increased during the instructional flt to the pt that the student was having a hard time controlling the acft, when the CFI decided to demonstarte autorotations. During the 2nd auto, the acft developed a high sink rate during final descent which the CFI could not arrest prior to the hard landing. The CFI stated that the winds were northerly at 13 KTS gustong to 21 KTS and that he felt they contributed to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2202C
- Reported as
- Bell 47D-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- M-1
- Airframe hours
- 3,434
- Engine
- Franklin 210, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Versatile Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 1989 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- 1FO
- Destination
- 1FO
- Airport
- IFO · Ardmore Downtown
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 343 total · 95 in this make and model · 205 as pilot in command · 101 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2202C · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.