- Date
- June 12, 1996, 14:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fulton, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5981XBrantly Helicopter B-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 20, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960612047249A
- Case key
- 39196
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 student pilot's improper flare and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
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 instructor and student reported that the landing followed 45 minutes of training manuevers. After landing the engine was shut down. They checked for tightness of nuts on the intake manifold, which were tightened before the flight due to looseness. After verifying the tightness, they decided to check the manifold pressure by running the engine to 26 inches of manifold pressure. According to the pilot, the helicopter became light on the skids but did not break ground. The helicopter was set down and shortly afterward rolled over. Examination of the accident site revealed 50 feet of skid marks leading to the helicopter. Inspection of the helicopter disclosed that the left skid had collapsed.
Factual narrative
On June 12, 1996, about 1415 eastern daylight time, a Brantly B-2 helicopter was substantially damaged at Oswego County Airport, Fulton, New York. The certificated flight instructor(CFI) and private pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the CFI stated that he noticed loose nuts on the intake manifold during pre-flight. The CFI and student pilot tightened the nuts and continued with the instructional flight. After takeoff and 40 to 45 minutes of maneuvers, they landed the aircraft, turned off power, and exited. They said that they wanted to check the intake manifold. After finding all satisfactory, they performed a maintenance run to check the manifold pressure. After raising the manifold pressure up to 26 inches the pilot said the aircraft became "light on the skids" but did not break ground. After setting the aircraft back down it rolled left and to the rear. The main rotor blades impacted the ground and separated from the aircraft.
Post accident examination of the wreckage by the FAA Inspector revealed the left rear oleo strut had failed by separating from the top of the strut. Also, sets of skid marks were found leading to the accident location. The first set were found approximately 50 feet away.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5981X
- Reported as
- Brantly Helicopter B-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 124
- Airframe hours
- 1,338
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-360-A1B, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bellamy Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 17, 1996 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- N00
- Destination
- N00
- Airport
- N00 · Oswego County
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 20 in this make and model · 8,000 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.