Accident Details
On May 7, 2015, about 1439 central daylight time, a Bell model 206-L3 helicopter, registration N127AE, sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during a practice run-on landing to runway 26L at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport, near Chesterfield, Missouri. The pilot and instructor pilot were not injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Air Evac EMS, Inc. under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight operated on a company visual flight rules flight plan. The local flight originated about 1438.
Purpose and Sequence of Events
The purpose of the flight was to conduct recurrent pilot training. The flight instructor reported that the pilot was performing a run-on landing in conjunction with a simulated hydraulic failure. The helicopter touched down on the runway just right of the runway centerline at a speed of about 5 knots. It skidded about 10 yards, and the left landing skid contacted a recessed runway centerline light. The flight instructor did not initially believe damage had occurred to the helicopter or the runway light but elected to return to the hangar. Damage to the helicopter was discovered after engine shutdown. The pilot's report coincided with that of the instructor.
Examination Findings
Examination of the runway light revealed a rectangular metal cover over a recessed area of the metal light base to protect the light element. The cover had a portion of the approach side torn away. Examination of the helicopter landing gear showed removable protective shoes mounted on the bottom surface of the skid tube to prevent abrasion. These skid shoes were semi-circular metal pieces attached to the bottom side of each skid tube. They were not continuous, and a short vertical lip was formed at the leading edge of each shoe on the underside of the skid tube.
The helicopter sustained damage to the underside of the fuselage in the area where the left skid was mounted. The damage was consistent with excessive rearward force acting on the skid.