- Date
- July 13, 2013, 12:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- Inyokern, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N123HPBell Helicopter Textron 206L-1
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130713013229A
- Case key
- 87484
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 failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft control during a practice autorotation maneuver and the pilot providing training's delayed remedial action which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the lack of communication between the two pilots.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During a flight for the purpose of the pilot to acquire the minimum flight hours to act as pilot-in-command, he and a pilot providing training (who was not a flight instructor) of the helicopter were practicing autorotation's from flight to a power recovery. The pilot providing training stated that on the fourth autorotation the pilot allowed the rotor rpm to decay and then froze on the controls, not allowing him to increase the throttle. He was able to level the helicopter; however, it landed hard and the main rotor blades struck and severed the tail boom. The pilot reported that at the initiation of the maneuver, the pilot providing training rolled the throttle off, and the downwind glide was established. The pilot stated that as he leveled the helicopter and collective was pulled, he realized that the engine was not completely back on line. The pilot providing training subsequently took over the flight controls and flew the helicopter to the ground. Both pilots reported the need for better verbal commands or stating intentions throughout the maneuver. Neither pilot reported a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During a flight for the purpose of the second pilot to acquire the minimum flight hours to act as pilot-in-command, he and the owner of the helicopter were practicing autorotation's from flight to a power recovery. The owner stated that on the fourth autorotation the second pilot allowed the rotor rpm to decay and then froze on the controls, not allowing him to increase the throttle. He was able to level the helicopter; however, it landed hard and the main rotor blades struck and severed the tail boom.The second pilot reported that at the initiation of the maneuver, the owner rolled the throttle off, and the downwind glide was established. The second pilot stated that as he leveled the helicopter and collective was pulled, he realized that the engine was not completely back on line. The owner subsequently took over the flight controls and flew the helicopter to the ground. Both pilots reported the need for better verbal commands or stating intentions throughout the maneuver. Neither pilot reported a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N123HP
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45394
- Engine
- Rolls-Royc 250-C40B, 715 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Southwest Heliservices LLC
- Registered owner
- Southwest Heliservices LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- IYK · Inyokern, CA
- Destination
- IYK · Inyokern, CA
- Airport
- IYK · Inyokern, runway 28, 4,150 × 75 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 15, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 19,418 total · 4,900 in this make and model · 112 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 4.5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 15, 2012
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,821 total · 1 in this make and model · 43 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots, gusting 3
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- IYK
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.