No fatalities

11 Aug 2015: BELL 47D1 1 — GILLILAND, KENNETH L. — Clanton, AL

Clanton, AL, United States

On 11 Aug 2015, a BELL 47D1 1 operated by GILLILAND, KENNETH L. was involved in an aviation accident near Clanton, AL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's pulling back on the cyclic and dumping collective, leading to a hard impact that caused the main rotor blades to contact the tail boom. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 9 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A flight instructor reported that a student pilot's control inputs during a hover approach led to a hard landing, causing main rotor blades to strike the tail boom.

Incident Overview

A flight instructor, acting as the pilot-in-command during a training flight, reported that an accident occurred while conducting an approach to landing. The approach was intended to terminate in a three-foot hover. According to the instructor, the student pilot "pulled back on the cyclic and dumped collective," which resulted in the helicopter impacting the ground "hard." The impact caused the main rotor blades to contact the tail boom.

Damage Assessment

The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom and to the empennage. There were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation, according to the flight instructor.

No Other Details

The source does not provide any additional information such as the helicopter type, registration, operator, location, date, time of day, weather conditions, or the number of occupants. No injuries were reported in the source.

Probable cause

The student pilot's pulling back on the cyclic and dumping collective, leading to a hard impact that caused the main rotor blades to contact the tail boom.

Contributing factors

Student/instructed pilotIncorrect use/operationPitch control — Not attained/maintained