- Date
- February 25, 1983, 15:38 local (21:38 UTC)
- Place
- Council Bluffs, IA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1040SHughes TH-55A
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830225005369A
- Case key
- 33320
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 student, who was a rated helicopter plt, and a helicopter instructor (CFI) were on a dual instructional flt. After takeoff, the aircrew remained in a right traffic pattern for rwy 13 , intending for the student to make a 180 deg autorotation to a parallel taxiway. The student overshot the autorotative turn & the CFI instructed him to continue the apch to a grass area between the taxiway & rwy. The CFI reported that the touchdown was smooth with zero airspeed. However, the helicopter began vibrating & turned to the left. Reportedly, the main rotor blades had severed the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1040S
- Reported as
- Hughes TH-55A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 6418194
- Airframe hours
- 4,356
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Iowa Western Community College
- Airport
- CBF · Council Bluffs Municipal
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 25 in this make and model · 2,020 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OMA, 6 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.