Incident Overview
A Bell 47 helicopter was substantially damaged during a training flight at Flagler County Airport. The flight was the first instructional flight for the commercial-rated certified flight instructor (CFI), who had about 500 hours of rotary flight time and 5 hours of instructional experience. The student pilot was receiving instruction on normal landing procedures.
Sequence of Events
According to the CFI, the approach was normal until the wind shifted. When the helicopter was 8 to 10 feet above the ground, it began to lose altitude. The CFI stated that he responded by applying collective pitch, but the helicopter settled without reacting to the rate of descent. Upon touchdown, the helicopter bounced. The hard landing caused the main rotor blade to flex downward and strike the tailboom, resulting in substantial damage.
Weather Conditions
The surface weather observation at Daytona Beach International Airport, located approximately 19 nautical miles south of Flagler County Airport, reported wind from 310 degrees magnetic at 10 knots at the time of the accident.
Damage
The helicopter sustained substantial damage due to the main rotor blade striking the tailboom.