- Date
- February 28, 2000, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Odessa, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9518KHughes TH-55
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000228004549A
- Case key
- 48684
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 use of flight controls (cyclic and col lective) during a autorotation resulting in a hard landing and subsequent roll over.
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 pilot was conducting an autorotation with turn. He sta rted his deceleration between 75 to 100 feet. The helicopter was not slowing down, he applied aft cyclic and the helicopter entered into a vertical rate of descent. Collective pitch was increased, the helicopter struck the ground in a tail low attitude separating the tail boom , and rolled over on it's right side.
Factual narrative
On February 28, 2000, at about 1030 eastern standard time, a Hughes TH-55, N9518K, registered to Pasco County Mosquito Control, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 training flight crashed during a training autorotation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot reported no injuries. The pilot departed from a private state heliport about 30 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated he was conducting an autorotation with turn. He started his deceleration between 75 to 100 feet. The helicopter was not slowing down, he applied aft cyclic and the helicopter entered into a vertical rate of descent. Collective pitch was increased, the helicopter collided with the ground in a tail low attitude separating the tail boom, and rolled over on its right side.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9518K
- Reported as
- Hughes TH-55
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 66-18272
- Airframe hours
- 6,669
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pasco County Mosquito Control
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 23, 1999 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,592 total · 153 in this make and model · 1,938 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.