- Date
- November 22, 2017, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Woodlawn, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9685FHughes 300
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 21, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20171122019709A
- Case key
- 96388
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 inappropriate descent profile during landing with a quartering gusting tailwind, which resulted in a loss of main rotor rpm.
Findings · 4
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 pilot reported that he was landing on a pad in a confined area. He added that, as he approached the landing pad, he slowed the helicopter to transition to a hover. The main rotor rpm began to drop, and he applied full throttle, but the rpm continued to decline. The helicopter was unable to maintain altitude and slowly settled into the trees on the hillside about 20 ft short of the landing pad. Subsequently, the helicopter struck the trees and rolled onto its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and main rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, after the accident, he noticed there was a significant right quartering tailwind, which required the application of more left pedal than anticipated. He further explained that the increased application of antitorque pedal lessened the available power to maintain the main rotor rpm. He concluded that the approach could have been completed safely with a steeper and faster approach to better manage engine power.
Factual narrative
The helicopter pilot reported that, he was landing on a pad in a confined area. He added that, as he approached the landing pad, he slowed the helicopter to transition to a hover. The main rotor RPM began to drop and he applied full throttle, but the RPM continued to decline. The helicopter was unable to maintain altitude and slowly settled into the trees on the hillside about 20 ft. short of the landing pad. Subsequently, the helicopter struck the trees, and rolled onto its right-side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and main rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, after the accident, he noticed there was a significant right quartering tailwind, which required the application of more left pedal than anticipated. He further explained that the increased application of anti-torque pedal lessened the available power to maintain the main rotor RPM. He concluded the approach could have been completed safely with a steeper and faster approach to better manage engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9685F
- Reported as
- Hughes 300 (C)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 620147
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 5,598
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 8, 2017
- Departed
- HLX · Galax Hillsville, VA
- Destination
- Woodlawn, VA
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- July 26, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,241 total · 127 in this make and model · 4,173 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 17 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KHLX, 4 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 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.
Other investigations on N9685F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.