No fatalities

1 Dec 2011: BELL 206L-3 — U S HELICOPTERS INC — Wingate, NC

Wingate, NC, United States

On 1 Dec 2011, a BELL 206L-3 operated by U S HELICOPTERS INC was involved in an aviation accident near Wingate, NC. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The certified flight instructor did not select an adequate landing site for the practice autorotation. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A helicopter sustained substantial damage when its main rotor blade struck the vertical stabilizers and tail rotor drive shaft cover during a touchdown autorotation on soft turf.

Incident Summary

A certificated flight instructor (CFI) was demonstrating a touchdown autorotation from an altitude of 1,500 feet above ground level to a turf runway. During the maneuver, the helicopter's sink rate appeared elevated, prompting the instructor to continue increasing collective pitch to reduce the descent. The helicopter touched down on soft turf with a slight forward speed on a downhill slope.

Sequence of Events

Upon landing, the rear portion of the skids momentarily became stuck in the soft turf. When the skids broke free, the helicopter pitched forward. The main rotor blade then contacted the vertical stabilizers and the tail rotor drive shaft cover.

Damage Assessment

The helicopter sustained substantial damage as a result of the rotor blade contact. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter prior to the incident.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDecision related to condition

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome