- Date
- January 29, 2019, 18:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Tampa, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N680DGEurocopter AS 350
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190129000459A
- Case key
- 98927
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 improper landing flare while practicing autorotations, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Findings · 2
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, during preparation for the pilot's helicopter commercial checkride, they were going to practice autorotation procedures. He added that, during the second autorotation, he saw that the rotor rpm had dropped significantly and that the pilot was pulling up on the collective. He immediately took command of the flight controls and attempted to lower the collective. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard, bounced, yawed right, bounced again, and then came to rest on the right side of the runway. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that, during preparation for the pilot's helicopter commercial check ride, they were going to practice autorotation procedures. He added that, during the second autorotation, he saw that the rotor RPM had dropped significantly, and the pilot was pulling up on the collective. He immediately took over command of the flight controls and attempted to lower the collective. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard, bounced, yawed right, bounced again, and came to rest on the right side of the runway. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N680DG
- Reported as
- Eurocopter AS 350 (B2)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3904
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 5,494
- Engine
- Turbomeca Arriel 1D1, 732 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Public use
- Operator
- Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office
- Registered owner
- Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 21, 2018
- Departed
- VDF · Tampa, FL
- Destination
- VDF · Tampa, FL
- Airport
- VDF · Tampa Executive, runway 23, 5,000 × 100 ft, concrete
- 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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 8, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,180.6 total · 2,972.8 as pilot in command · 223 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 3.7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 5, 2018
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 381.7 total · 131.6 in this make and model · 278.7 as pilot in command · 69 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KVDF
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 9, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 845 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.