- Date
- July 1, 2016, 15:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Cullman, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9658FHughes 269C
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160701011079A
- Case key
- 93552
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 helicopter flight instructor candidate's improper execution of the autorotation, resulting in abnormal ground contact and subsequent damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail rotor drive assembly.
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 helicopter flight instructor reported that the commercial pilot rated/helicopter flight instructor candidate receiving instruction was practicing autorotations with power recovery to the runway; during a practice 180 degree autorotation, the flight instructor candidate executed the landing flare too low to the ground resulting in a tail rotor strike. The flight instructor further reported that he took the controls and landed the helicopter after it had yawed, un-commanded to the right, about 180 degrees. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail rotor drive assembly. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-21A (2012) discusses procedures for autorotation and states in part: Care must be taken in the execution of the flare so that the cyclic control is neither moved rearward so abruptly that it causes the helicopter to climb nor moved so slowly that it does not arrest the descent, which may allow the helicopter to settle so rapidly that the tail rotor strikes the ground… extreme caution should be used to avoid an excessive nose high and tail low attitude below 10 feet. The helicopter must be close to the landing attitude to keep the tail rotor from contacting the surface.
Factual narrative
The helicopter flight instructor reported that the commercial pilot rated/helicopter flight instructor candidate receiving instruction was practicing autorotations with power recovery to the runway; during a practice 180 degree autorotation, the flight instructor candidate executed the landing flare too low to the ground resulting in a tail rotor strike. The flight instructor further reported that he took the controls and landed the helicopter after it had yawed, un-commanded to the right, about 180 degrees. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail rotor drive assembly. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The FAA Helicopter Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-21A (2012) discusses procedures for autorotation and states in part: Care must be taken in the execution of the flare so that the cyclic control is neither moved rearward so abruptly that it causes the helicopter to climb nor moved so slowly that it does not arrest the descent, which may allow the helicopter to settle so rapidly that the tail rotor strikes the ground… extreme caution should be used to avoid an excessive nose high and tail low attitude below 10 feet. The helicopter must be close to the landing attitude to keep the tail rotor from contacting the surface.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9658F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 210090
- Built
- 1971
- Airframe hours
- 8,897.3
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wallace State College
- Registered owner
- Wallace State College
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 20, 2016
- Departed
- CMD · Cullman, AL
- Destination
- CMD · Cullman, AL
- Airport
- CMD · Cullman Rgnl-Folsom Field, runway 02, 5,500 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 16, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,062 total · 578 in this make and model · 901 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 240 total · 215 in this make and model · 194 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KHSV, 23 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 21, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.