- Date
- November 21, 1982, 14:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73991Bell 47G-3B-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 21, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821121060569A
- Case key
- 72870
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The single engine land airplane pilot was on a solo instructional flight, practicing landings in the helicopter. He reported that during a landing, he was too fast. While flaring, the tail rotor hit the ground and one of the tail rotor blades separated. Before the aircraft could be landed and the engine shut down, a severe vibration began (due to the loss of the blade) and the tail rotor gear box separated from the airframe. No other damage was reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73991
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2897
- Airframe hours
- 4,119
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-B1A, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Rrt Investments, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Rrt Investments, Inc.
- Departed
- Tucson, AZ
- Destination
- Tucson, AZ
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 23 in this make and model · 530 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 158 °F
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 N73991 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.