Boeing MD600N N9204D

Summary

On 3 February 1998 at about 16:35 local time, a Boeing MD600N registered N9204D was involved in an accident near Mesa, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 February 1998 at 16:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Falcon Field (FFZ)

Coordinates

33.5096, -111.5795

Aircraft

Boeing MD600N

Registration

N9204D

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA093

Nobody was injured.

the attempt by flight test engineers to verify a height/velocity data point that was subsequently shown to be outside the aircraft's performance capabilities.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in the process of verifying a height/velocity performance data point, the pilot entered an autorotation at takeoff power and maximum gross weight. The onboard telemetry revealed that the pilot reduced the throttle to flight idle at the entry point but that the remaining momentum caused the aircraft to accelerate and climb. During the descent, the main rotor rpm decayed and an excessive vertical sink rate developed. The aircraft landed hard at the intended touchdown point. The aircraft was hover-taxied from the landing area and a normal shutdown was completed. The test pilot reported that the height/velocity data point was outside the aircraft's performance capabilities.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.