- Date
- July 9, 2024, 09:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N540HHMcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Dynamic rollover
- 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
- FAA report
- 20240709008379A
- Case key
- 194670
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 receiving instruction’s failure to maintain helicopter control during autorotation, which resulted in a dynamic rollover. Contributing to the accident was the delayed remedial action from the flight instructor.
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, the pilot receiving instruction entered a smooth and established autorotation. About 75 ft above ground level, the pilot receiving instruction began to slow the helicopter into a near- vertical decent. The flight instructor took the controls, leveled the helicopter, and it then contacted the ground. One of the skids dug into the sand, and the helicopter proceeded to roll over. During the accident sequence, the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom, horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, and the fuselage. The operator reported that there were no preaccident failures or malfunctions that precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N540HH
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369 (FF)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0186FF
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 468.5
- Engine
- Rolls Royce 250-C30, 557 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- MD Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Bank of Utah Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 18, 2024 · 35.9 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight 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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- March 3, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 999
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Foreign
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Last flight review
- June 24, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 172 total · 42 in this make and model · 16 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Observed at
- KIWA, 6 nm away
- METAR
- KIWA 091647Z 17007KT 10SM CLR 38/11 A2985
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 19, 2024, 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.