N6040Y – BELL 407 – 2009-09-23 NTSB Accident Report

On September 23, 2009, a Bell 407 (N6040Y) was involved in an incident near Fort Worth, 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: Failure of the pilot to maintain control during landing.

The flight instructor was demonstrating a landing using the manual Full-Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) mode. While on short final, approximately 3 to 5 feet above ground level, the helicopter quickly descended right and forward. Suspecting wind shear, the flight instructor applied corrective controls, but was unable to reverse the downward motion prior to ground contact. The helicopter's left rear skid contacted the ground followed by the right rear skid before the flight instructor could bring the helicopter back to a hover. A post-flight examination of the helicopter revealed damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail boom.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN09CA604. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N6040Y.