N43791 – BELL 206B – 2009-06-12 NTSB Accident Report

On June 12, 2009, a Bell 206B (N43791) was involved in an incident near Justin, TX. 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 instructor pilot's failure to add sufficient power early enough to compensate for the strong gusting headwinds.

The instructor pilot was demonstrating an “extended glide” autorotation to a paved landing “lane” when the accident occurred. The autorotation was initiated at an altitude of approximately 740 feet above ground level (agl). Upon reaching an altitude of 75 feet agl, the pilot determined he was going to land short of the paved surface so he applied power; however, lift was suddenly lost. He then noticed a raised concrete lip between the grass and the landing lane so he applied aft cyclic hoping the front of the skids would not catch on the raised pavement. The helicopter touched down in the soft terrain, slid over the rise in the pavement, and became airborne. The helicopter then touched down on the pavement at which time the tail boom was severed.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN09CA351. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N43791.