N911ES

Substantial
None

Eurocopter France AS-350-B2S/N: 2665

Accident Details

Date
Thursday, January 26, 2006
NTSB Number
DFW06CA062
Location
Port Isabel, TX
Event ID
20060209X00183
Coordinates
31.550495, -98.050254
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
None
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
2
Total Aboard
2

Probable Cause and Findings

The pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM and his improper touchdown during a simulated hovering autorotation. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.

Aircraft Information

Registration
N911ES
Make
EUROCOPTER FRANCE
Serial Number
2665
Year Built
1992
Model / ICAO
AS-350-B2

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
INTERPARTS GENERAL BUSINESS INC DBA
Address
7104 BRUNSWICK CIR
Status
Deregistered
City
BOYNTON BEACH
State / Zip Code
FL 33472-2534
Country
United States

Analysis

The 5,591-hour helicopter flight instructor reported he was on the second day of training of a newly hired 10,000-hour commercial helicopter rated pilot. After the pilot's first landing on Runway 03 (4,999-feet long by 150-feet wide asphalt-concrete runway), the flight instructor asked the pilot to perform an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) takeoff (as described in the company's operations manual), and then enter the local traffic pattern. The flight instructor stated that the EMS takeoff procedure began by the pilot bringing the helicopter to a three to five foot hover in order to conduct a power check prior to the application of takeoff power. While the helicopter was at a hover, the flight instructor initiated a hovering autorotation; the pilot immediately applied forward cyclic, and then pulled up on the collective. The flight instructor considered the pilot's flight control inputs to be excessive, resulting in a high sink rate and an undesirable helicopter attitude for touchdown. The instructor immediately took control of the helicopter and brought it back to a level attitude in an attempt to cushion the landing. The flight instructor stated that the main rotor RPM was low and most of the collective had been used to prevent a nose low impact. The helicopter then descended approximately one to two feet, impacting terrain in a level attitude and then bounced forward approximately four feet.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DFW06CA062