Hughes OH-6A N129BC

Summary

On 25 November 2001 at about 22:00 local time, a Hughes OH-6A registered N129BC was involved in an accident near Hernando, Mississippi, United States. 2 people were 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

25 November 2001 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hernando, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Fergussons private strip

Coordinates

34.8207, -89.9805

Aircraft

Hughes OH-6A

Registration

N129BC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hernando → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA02LA029

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's improper supervision of the dual student during a practice autorotation landing by allowing an excessive aft pitch attitude and low main rotor rpm conditions to develop during the landing/flare touchdown, which resulted in the helicopter making a hard landing on the heels of the skids, and the main rotor severing the tail boom.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that he and the dual student were performing autorotations, and the student flared the helicopter at an altitude of about 65 feet, and applied initial collective pitch control input at about 10 feet, leveling the helicopter. The instructor said that the aircraft was about 2 feet high, and still moving forward, and at that point the student did not let the helicopter settle to the ground, but continued to apply collective pitch control input. He said he stopped the student from applying collective pitch control input and the aircraft descended, but during the descent the student applied aft cyclic control input, causing the aircraft to hit on the heels of the skids, while rotor rpms were low. The instructor said, that as a result, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom, severing the tail just forward of the tail rotor gear box.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.