- Date
- May 5, 2021, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6068SMD Helicopters 369FF
- Defining event
- Approach: Simulated/training event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- MD Helicopters
- FAA report
- 20210505002049A
- Case key
- 103042
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
A tail rotor blade strike to an undetermined object while practicing approaches to unimproved terrain.
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
The flight instructor reported that, he performed a preflight inspection with the pilot receiving instruction and did not observe any damage to the tail rotor blades before the accident flight. They subsequently departed to a nearby training area and completed several terrain flight approaches to a sandy wash area using standard approach profiles. After one hour of flight and about 15 approaches they returned to their departure airport. While performing a post-flight inspection, the flight instructor and the pilot both observed substantial damage to the tail rotor blades. According to the flight instructor, at no point during the flight did they feel any unusual vibrations with the helicopter, nor did they observe any debris within the landing area. The flight instructor reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6068S
- Reported as
- MD Helicopters 369FF
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0268FF
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 40.6
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce 250-C30, 650 hp, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Md Helicopters Inc
- Registered owner
- Md Helicopters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 23, 2020
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- FFZ · Falcon Fld
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 15, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 10,188 total · 790 in this make and model · 8,693 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Foreign
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 900 total · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KFFZ
- METAR
- KFFZ 051554Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 27/M03 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP128 T02721028
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 3, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.