- Date
- July 24, 2003, 12:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Snohomish, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N53KFHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Seattle FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030724017849A
- Case key
- 57559
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The dual students failure to maintain clearance from the terrain during the go-around from a simulated autorotational flare, and the instructor pilot's failure to take adequate remedial action to keep the dual student from allowing the aircraft to impact the terrain.
Analysis
The student was executing a practice power-off autorotation, and during the go-around from the simulated landing flare he applied too much aft cyclic. The instructor, who was simultaneously applying a small amount of up collective to arrest a slight sink, did not take adequate remedial action to keep the student (who is a high-time fixed wing pilot) from applying too much aft cyclic. This resulted in the tail rotor of the helicopter impacting the ground, followed immediately by a loss of tail rotor effectiveness. Soon thereafter, the helicopter began to spin, and the instructor pilot took over total control and executed an emergency landing. After the aircraft's engine was shut down, it was determined that there was damage to both the tail rotor and tail boom.
Factual narrative
On July 24, 2003, approximately 1215 Pacific daylight time, a Hughes 269C helicopter, N53KF, collided with the terrain during a go-around from a practice autorotation near Snohomish, Washington. Neither the certified flight instructor or his student were injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by Snohomish Flying Service, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 local instructional flight, which departed Harvey Field, Snohomish, Washington, about 60 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions.
According to the instructor pilot, the student was executing a practice power-off autorotation, and during the go-around from the simulated landing flare, he applied too much aft cyclic. The remedial actions of the instructor, who was simultaneously applying a small amount of up collective to arrest a slight sink, were not sufficient to keep the student (who is a high-time fixed wing pilot) from applying so much aft cyclic that the tail rotor of the helicopter impacted the ground. Immediately after the tail rotor hit the ground, there was a loss of tail rotor effectiveness. Soon thereafter, the helicopter began to spin, and the instructor pilot took over total control and executed an emergency landing. After the aircraft's engine was shut down, it was determined that there was damage to both the tail rotor and tail boom.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53KF
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51738
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Snohomish Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 15, 2003 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- S43 · Snohomish, WA
- Destination
- S43
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- October 12, 2003
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 17,347 total · 788 in this make and model · 17,124 as pilot in command
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- June 30, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 5 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.