Incident Overview
An airplane on approach to Runway 13R encountered vortex turbulence from a military transport helicopter that had executed an approach to the same runway and terminated in a hover approximately 300 feet above the runway surface. The loss of control occurred as the airplane was flaring.
Sequence of Events
The flight had been vectored for Runway 13R by approach control from initial contact and subsequently handed off to tower. There was no verbal coordination between approach control and tower. A military transport helicopter executed an approach to the same runway ahead of the accident airplane and terminated at about a 300-foot hover over the runway.
The pilot of the accident airplane requested vectors for separation. The tower responded that separation "...should be just fine...." Shortly thereafter, while the airplane was over the threshold of Runway 13R, the pilot requested confirmation that she was supposed to be behind the helicopter. The tower responded, "...you were cleared to land on the left runway." The pilot responded, "Okay understand we were one three right."
As the airplane was flaring, it encountered vortex turbulence from the helicopter, and control was lost. The tower never issued the accident airplane a landing clearance to either runway, nor was a clearance to land requested by the pilot.