- Date
- October 4, 1989, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- New Iberia, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3606YAerospatiale 350D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891004040769A
- Case key
- 23057
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 second pilot's (under instruction) misjudgement of aircraft attitude during the level off phase of the autorotation
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 the recurrent training flight, the instructor pilot announced a forced landing and reduced the fuel control lever to flight idle. The second pilot under instruction initiated an autorotation and executed the maneuver in a satisfactory manner until touchdown. The second pilot failed to level the helicopter prior to the touchdown on the sod, resulting in the rear skids contacting the ground firmly. The main rotor system flexed rearward and a main rotor blade contacted and severed the tailboom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3606Y
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale 350D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1236
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS101-600A2, 615 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- ARA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- ARA · Acadiana Regional, runway 34, 8,002 × 200 ft, grass/turf
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,382 total · 275 in this make and model · 4,433 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ARA, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.