- Date
- November 13, 2014, 10:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Panguitch, UT
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N425UAerospatiale AS350BA
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20141113020369A
- Case key
- 90384
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 flight instructor's delayed reaction in taking control of the helicopter during a student pilot's loss of control while landing.
Findings · 2
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 an instructional flight, the student was practicing "hydraulic off" landings. The flight instructor (CFI) stated that he had to take control of the helicopter during the landing, due to the student pilot's loss of control of the helicopter's yaw and pitch. The CFI was unable to prevent the helicopter from rotating and it inadvertently struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom and main rotor blades. The CFI reported no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During an instructional flight, the student was practicing "hydraulic off" landings. The Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) stated that he had to take control of the helicopter during the landing, due to the student pilot's loss of control of the helicopter's yaw and pitch. The CFI was unable to prevent the helicopter from rotating and it inadvertently struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom and main rotor blades. The CFI reported no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N425U
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS350BA (D)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2422
- Built
- 1990
- Airframe hours
- 9,293.6
- Engine
- Honeywell LTS-101-700D2, 734 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Southern Utah University
- Registered owner
- Tumbleweed Leasing Co Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 22, 2014
- Departed
- CDC · Cedar City, UT
- Destination
- CDC · Cedar City, UT
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- U55 · Panguitch Muni, runway 18, 5,700 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device
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
- 27
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 13, 2014
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,358 total · 452 in this make and model · 1,207 as pilot in command · 206 in the last 90 days · 89 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 22, 2014
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 5 in this make and model · 17 as pilot in command · 79 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- BCE, 14 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 18, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 565 KB 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.