- Date
- February 2, 2008, 19:00 local (Feb 3, 2008, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bullhead City, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N44NVRobinson R44 II
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080202010379A
- Case key
- 67464
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 misjudged landing flare, inadequate bounced landing recovery, and failure to maintain directional control during a bounced landing that resulted in the tail rotor blades colliding with a hangar. Contributing to the accident was the burned out landing lights.
Findings · 5
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 pilot reported that during the night flight, and prior to landing, he discovered that both landing lights were burned out. During the landing, the nose of the right skid contacted the ground and the helicopter bounced back into the air and rotated to the right resulting in the tail rotor striking a hangar. The helicopter rotated about 360 degrees before impacting the ground. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor gearbox attachment point. The pilot reported no other abnormalities with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the night flight, and prior to landing, he discovered that both landing lights were burned out. During the landing, the nose of the right skid contacted the ground and the helicopter bounced back into the air and rotated to the right resulting in the tail rotor striking a hangar. The helicopter rotated about 360 degrees before impacting the ground. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor gearbox attachment point. The pilot reported no other abnormalities with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44NV
- Reported as
- Robinson R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 11800
- Airframe hours
- 56
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Laughlin Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2007 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- HND · Henderson, NV
- Destination
- IFP · Bullhead City, AZ
- Airport
- IFP · Laughlin/Bullhead Internationa
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
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,041 total · 262 in this make and model · 7,815 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- EED, 24 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.