- Date
- December 7, 2022, 13:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ft Worth, TX · Bell Helicopter Practice Area
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2036FBell 206-L4
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- 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
- FAA - North Texas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221207022479A
- Case key
- 106430
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 pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident, was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision.
Findings · 4
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, during the instructional flight practicing autorotations, the pilot receiving instruction flared the helicopter in a more pronounced nose up attitude, an aft cyclic and higher descent rate, but not excessive enough to require him to take control. During the landing, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom. The tail rotor driveshaft and vertical fins were substantially damaged during the landing. The flight instructor reported that there were no of preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would preclude normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2036F
- Reported as
- Bell 206-L4
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 52123
- Built
- 1995
- Airframe hours
- 6,183.9
- Engine
- Allison 250-C30 SER, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bell Textron Inc
- Registered owner
- Bell Textron Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 25, 2022 · 117 hours before
- Departed
- 0TE2 · Hurst, TX
- Destination
- XS04 · Fort Worth, TX
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- XS04 · Bell South Airfield Airport, runway Lane 1, 1,600 × 55 ft
- Equipment
- 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,308 total · 330 in this make and model · 4,670 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,359 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,100 ft overcast
- METAR
- KDFW 071925Z 34008KT 4SM BR BKN019 OVC024 18/17 A3012 RMK AO2 WSHFT 1906
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 4, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 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.
Other investigations on N2036F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.