- Date
- August 11, 2015, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Clanton, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N74823Bell 47D1
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150811016529A
- Case key
- 91762
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 student pilot's abrupt cyclic and collective inputs during the approach to land which resulted in abnormal runway contact and a subsequent tail boom strike by the main rotor blades.
Findings · 3
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
The flight instructor reported that while conducting an approach to landing, terminating at a three foot hover, the student pilot "pulled back on the cyclic and dumped collective", which caused the main rotor blades to contact the tail boom after the helicopter impacted the ground "hard". The flight instructor reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom and to the empennage.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that while conducting an approach to landing, terminating at a three foot hover, the student pilot "pulled back on the cyclic and dumped collective", which caused the main rotor blades to contact the tail boom after the helicopter impacted the ground "hard". The flight instructor reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom and to the empennage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N74823
- Reported as
- Bell 47D1 (1)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 270
- Built
- 1953
- Airframe hours
- 7,861
- Engine
- Franklin 6V4-200-C32, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Gilliland, Kenneth L.
- Registered owner
- Gilliland, Kenneth L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 1, 2015 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 02A · Clanton, AL
- Destination
- 02A · Clanton, AL
- Airport
- 02A · Chilton County, runway 26, 4,008 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 28, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 7,320 total · 3.7 in this make and model · 5,611 as pilot in command · 29.5 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 0.8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 18, 2015
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 6,328 total · 250 in this make and model · 6,194 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KEET, 21 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 14, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
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 N74823 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.