- Date
- January 31, 1999, 14:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N58431McDonnell Douglas 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 30, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990131001159A
- Case key
- 45712
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 failure to properly judge the landing flare maneuver during a practice autorotative landing resulting in a hard landing.
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 supervisor of the law enforcement helicopter unit reported that the pilot was performing a practice autorotative landing to touchdown when, during the landing flare, the tail stinger contacted the ground. The helicopter landed hard and the main rotor blades then flexed downward severing the tail boom.
Factual narrative
On January 31, 1999, at 1445 hours Pacific standard time, a McDonnell Douglas 369D, N58431, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at North Las Vegas Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada. The commercial licensed pilot and one observer/passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight which was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a public-use aircraft by the Metropolitan Police Air Support Unit.
The unit supervisor reported that the pilot was performing a practice autorotative landing to touchdown when, during the landing flare, the tail stinger contacted the ground. The helicopter landed hard and the main rotor blades then flexed downward severing the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58431
- Reported as
- McDonnell Douglas 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1290647
- Airframe hours
- 22,782
- Engine
- Allison 250C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Las Vegas Metro Police Dept
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 15, 1998 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- VGT
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- VGT · North Las Vegas
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
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,440 total · 2,080 in this make and model · 3,177 as pilot in command · 258 in the last 90 days · 123 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 19 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAS, 8 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 N58431 · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.