MD Helicopters 500N N520AP

Summary

On 2 August 2006 at about 17:20 local time, a MD Helicopters 500N registered N520AP was involved in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 August 2006 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Coordinates

38.1397, -85.5392

Aircraft

MD Helicopters 500N

Registration

N520AP

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Louisville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC06TA190

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent rollover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor was providing initial helicopter training to the student, a commercial pilot with fixed wing ratings. The student, with the flight instructor "following closely" on the controls, was practicing approaches to a hover in an open field. After several approaches, they decided to practice a steep approach. About 600 feet above the ground the student began a stabilized approach at 40 knots indicated airspeed, and at a descent rate about 1,000 feet per minute. He then brought the helicopter to a hover about 5 to 10 feet above the ground. The helicopter hovered for between 5 and 15 seconds, before it "drop[ed] to the ground," and rolled onto its right side. The flight instructor further reported that prior to the accident, the helicopter was operating with "no indication of [a] mechanical problem," and the engine seemed to be producing power normally. A witness stated that as the helicopter got close to the ground, "it all of the sudden pitched nose down," and impacted the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed that both right landing gear struts fractured in ductile overload, consistent with a single impact. Flight control continuity was established, with no anomalies noted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.