History of Flight
On October 12, 2012, at approximately 1800 eastern daylight time, a Sikorsky S-55B helicopter, registration N443FD, sustained substantial damage during an off-airport precautionary landing near Yorktown, New York. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter was being operated as a Part 91 ferry flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Newton Airport (3N5) in Newton, New Jersey, about 30 minutes prior to the accident, and was destined for Igor I Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR) in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
According to the pilot, while in cruise flight with a quartering tailwind, an unusual noise was heard. The pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing in a farm field. As the helicopter descended, beginning about 30 feet above ground level, the pilot used the collective to arrest the descent rate. However, full collective travel did not produce a noticeable reduction in descent. The helicopter touched down in the field, and all four landing gear sank into soft ground, causing the helicopter to roll over and come to rest on its left side.
Wreckage and Impact
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the wreckage and noted buckling of the structure along the tail section. The main rotor blades and left side of the helicopter sustained substantial damage. Fuel was observed at the accident location. Ground scars from the forward and aft wheels were several feet in length, approximately 1 foot deep, and aligned with the landing direction. The pilot reported that the helicopter was moving forward at about 10 knots at touchdown.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The pilot, age 59, held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land and sea, and helicopter, as well as a second-class medical certificate issued July 24, 2012. The pilot reported approximately 6,800 total flight hours, with about 4,800 hours in rotorcraft and roughly 800 hours in the accident helicopter make and model.
The Sikorsky S-55B is a six-seat, four-wheeled helicopter powered by a Wright R1300-3D 800-horsepower 7-cylinder radial engine. According to the pilot, the most recent annual inspection occurred on September 14, 2008, with a recorded total time of 2,594 hours.
Meteorological Information
Weather data from Westchester County Airport (HPN), about 15 miles northwest of the accident site, recorded at 1756: wind from 350 degrees at 12 knots with gusts to 16 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 and 7,500 feet above ground level, temperature 10°C, dewpoint -1°C, and barometric pressure 30.23 inches of mercury.
Additional Information
Examination of the engine data monitoring (EDM) system by the Safety Board's Recorders Laboratory showed exhaust gas temperature between 1,000 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit and cylinder head temperature between 275 and 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
The FAA Rotorcraft Flying Handbook describes vortex ring state (settling with power) as an aerodynamic condition where a helicopter may be in a vertical descent with up to maximum power applied and little cyclic authority. Conditions conducive to settling with power include attempting to hover out of ground effect without precise altitude control, and downwind or steep power approaches at low forward airspeed.