N9023Z – BRANTLY B 2B – 2014-05-25 NTSB Accident Report

On May 25, 2014, a Brantly B 2B (N9023Z) was involved in an incident near Essex, MD. 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 pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control during landing resulting in a hard landing and a roll over.

According to the pilot during an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the purpose of the flight was to practice approaches and hovering. As the helicopter neared the ground, he pulled collective to enter a hover when it began to rotate clockwise. He was unable to stop the rotation and the helicopter made two full rotations prior to impacting the ground. The passenger reported that the helicopter impacted the ground "hard, but not too hard." The helicopter bounced, rolled over, and came to rest on the left side of the fuselage, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades, the fuselage, and tailboom. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA14CA259. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9023Z.