Summary
On April 27, 2008, a Bell 206B (N526DL) was involved in an incident near Murietta, CA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The flight instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action. A contributing factor to the accident was the dual student's improper flare.
The commercial pilot receiving instruction reported that during the seventh practice autorotation to landing that day, the helicopter touched down on the aft part of the landing skids and started to roll forward. The pilot stated he applied aft cyclic to prevent the helicopter from rolling forward and one of the main rotor blades subsequently struck the tail boom. The flight instructor stated that he was unable to react in time to level the helicopter prior to touchdown. Examination of the helicopter revealed structural damage to the tail boom and tail rotor drive shaft. No mechanical anomalies were reported with the flight control system.
This incident is documented in NTSB report SEA08CA124. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N526DL.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The flight instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action. A contributing factor to the accident was the dual student's improper flare.
Aircraft Information
Analysis
The commercial pilot receiving instruction reported that during the seventh practice autorotation to landing that day, the helicopter touched down on the aft part of the landing skids and started to roll forward. The pilot stated he applied aft cyclic to prevent the helicopter from rolling forward and one of the main rotor blades subsequently struck the tail boom. The flight instructor stated that he was unable to react in time to level the helicopter prior to touchdown. Examination of the helicopter revealed structural damage to the tail boom and tail rotor drive shaft. No mechanical anomalies were reported with the flight control system. The pilot stated in the "how could this accident/incident have been prevented" section of the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report form, "proper execution of a full down autorotation by fully leveling the aircraft before touchdown."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA08CA124