- Date
- November 6, 2023, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ · airport environment
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N369FFMD Helicopters 369FF
- Defining event
- Landing: Abnormal runway contact
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 193356
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 failure to maintain a proper autorotation profile during deceleration that resulted in the tail rotor assembly impacting the ground.
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 proficiency flight, the pilot was demonstrating an autorotation, and the nonflying pilot was following on the flight controls. While holding the flare to land, an excessive amount of aft cyclic was abruptly applied, and the tailskid and tail rotor contacted the ground. The pilot leveled the helicopter and completed the autorotation. The helicopter spun about 90° to the right before it came to a stop. The tail rotor assembly, tail boom, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and tail rotor drive shaft couplings sustained substantial damage. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N369FF
- Reported as
- MD Helicopters 369FF
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0709FF
- Built
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 12,950.8
- Engines
- Rolls-Royc 250-C30, 650 horsepower, turbo shaftRolls-Royc 250-C30, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- MD Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Bank Of Utah Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- FFZ · Falcon Fld
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 27, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 10,642 total · 1,197 in this make and model · 9,145 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 19, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 895 total · 100 in this make and model · 823 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KFFZ
- METAR
- METAR KFFZ 061654Z 02004KT 10SM CLR 26/01 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP132 T02560011=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 6, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB in all.