- Date
- March 19, 1987, 09:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1601YMcDonnell Douglas 369E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870319007469A
- Case key
- 25547
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
During factory flt training, prior to delivery of the new helicopter to the owner, the CFI said he asked the student to perform a series of emergency procedures which included quick stops from an initial takeoff followed by hovering autorotations. The CFI said the student successfully completed one series of maneuvers and he asked him to do one more. The CFI said that during the deceleration phase of the quick stop, the student mistakenly 'rolled the throttle to the idle position' at about 25 ft AGL. The CFI said that he immediately assumed control of the aircraft, rolled the throttle to the full open position and attempted to enter an auto rotation, however, insufficient energy remained in the rotor to fully arrest the descent rate prior to touchdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1601Y
- Reported as
- McDonnell Douglas 369E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0216E
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 375 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Walter S. Mcphail
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 10, 1987 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, 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
- 39
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,530 total · 2,821 in this make and model · 5,162 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DVT, 7 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.
Other investigations on N1601Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.