N369PD – MD HELICOPTER INC 369E – 2009-01-20 NTSB Accident Report

On January 20, 2009, a Md Helicopter INC 369E (N369PD) was involved in an incident near Atlanta, GA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: Wind gusts during engine shutdown, which resulted in the main rotor blades contacting the tailboom.

The pilot of the MD Helicopter 369E was informed before landing about the wind direction and velocity (330 degrees at 18 knots with gusts to 28 knots). After an uneventful landing the co-pilot exited the helicopter and he began shutdown of the helicopter. He applied down collective and friction, and following a 2-minute cool down period for the engine, he closed the throttle and guarded the cyclic control. When the main rotor was at 200 rpm, he felt a wind gust from the right side of the helicopter and then heard a loud sound. He applied the rotor brake and exited the helicopter after the main rotor blades stopped. At that time he noted damage to the main rotor blades and also to the tailboom.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA09CA138. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N369PD.