- Date
- July 29, 2007, 19:30 local (Jul 30, 2007, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Three Forks, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N428MSHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070729014239A
- Case key
- 66322
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 failure to maintain control of the aircraft during autorotation. The flight instructor's inadequate supervision was a factor.
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 reported that during a training flight, while practicing an autorotation, the student began the cyclic flare and the tail of the rotorcraft struck the runway. The power recovery was initiated by the student and the instructor began to assist on the controls. The instructor reported that there was very little tail rotor effectiveness and that the aircraft then began to spin, made contact again with the ground and came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported no mechanical failure or malfunction with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The instructor reported that during a training flight, while practicing an autorotation, the student began the cyclic flare and the tail of the rotorcraft struck the runway. The power recovery was initiated by the student and the instructor began to assist on the controls. The instructor reported that there was very little tail rotor effectiveness and that the aircraft then began to spin, made contact again with the ground and came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported no mechanical failure or malfunction with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N428MS
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1424
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-SER, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 9S5 · Three Forks, MT
- Destination
- 9S5 · Three Forks, MT
- Airport
- 9S5 · Three Forks, runway 02, 5,100 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 476 total · 1 in this make and model · 114 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 216 total · 88 in this make and model · 34 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- 32N
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.