- Date
- October 24, 1997, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Farmingdale, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N62316Hiller UH-12D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971024047579A
- Case key
- 39497
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 certificated flight instructor's inadequate supervision and failure to maintain directional control.
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 pilot was hover taxing when the certificated flight instructor (CFI) rolled the throttle to the idle position and announced a 'simulated an engine failure.' The helicopter yawed to the left and pitched nose down. The CFI took control of the helicopter . The helicopter then spun to right, and the tail rotor contacted the ground.
Factual narrative
On October 24, 1997, at about 1300 eastern standard time, a Hiller UH-12D, N62316, was substantially damaged during a simulated engine failure from a hover at the Allaire Airport, Farmingdale, New Jersey. The certificated flight instructor (CFI), and student pilot (SP) were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In a written statement the CFI stated:
"...The [SP] was on the controls, hovering the helicopter forward, in preparation for another quick stop, when I announced 'simulated engine failure' and rolled the throttle to the idle position. The helicopter yawed to the left and pitched nose down. I came on the controls, pressed full right pedal, pulled aft cyclic and applied power to recover. The helicopter spun to the right with the tail rotor contacting the ground. I rolled the throttle back to idle and the helicopter settled onto the ground...."
The CFI's reported total flight experience in helicopters was 2,958 hours, of which 286 hours were in make and model.
The SP's reported total flight experience was 21 hours, all in make and model.
Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed no pre-impact failure of the airframe or engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62316
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1391
- Airframe hours
- 5,792
- Engine
- Lycoming VO435-A1C, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Raco Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 14, 1997 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- BLM · NJ
- Airport
- BLM · Allaire
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,194 total · 286 in this make and model · 2,009 as pilot in command · 196 in the last 90 days · 69 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BLM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.