- Date
- August 18, 2016, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Broussard, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7898XBell 206 L4
- Defining event
- Landing: Tailstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 18, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160818013349A
- Case key
- 93868
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 pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in the helicopter sliding off the aft end of the transport dolly.
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
According to the pilot of the skid-equipped helicopter, he was practicing landing on an 18 foot by 18 foot transport dolly. The pilot reported that during his second landing on the dolly, he landed on the aft end of the dolly and the helicopter slid backwards. He recalled that he heard and felt a thump, pulled pitch, and the helicopter ascended about 5 feet, yawed to the right and he initiated an autorotation and landed. He reported that the bottom of the skids showed scrape marks, "so I must have slid back off the dolly and hit the tail stinger." The tailboom and the vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the helicopter during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operations.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the skid-equipped helicopter, he was practicing landing on an 18 foot by 18 foot transport dolly. The pilot reported that during his second landing on the dolly, he landed on the aft end of the dolly and the helicopter slid backwards. He recalled that he heard and felt a thump, pulled pitch, and the helicopter ascended about 5 feet, yawed to the right and he initiated an autorotation and landed. He reported that the bottom of the skids showed scrape marks, "so I must have slid back off the dolly and hit the tail stinger." The tailboom and the vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the helicopter during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7898X
- Reported as
- Bell 206 L4 (L4)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 52299
- Built
- 2004
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce M250-C30P, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Acadiana Helicopters LLC.
- Registered owner
- Acadiana Helicopters LLC.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- IYA · Abbeville, LA
- Destination
- 3LA7 · Broussard, LA
- Airport
- 3LA7 · Variable Bor Ram, runway H1, 65 × 65 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 23, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,400 total · 1,250 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots, gusting 18
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KLFT
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 18, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 603 KB 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.