Bell 407 N6040Y

Summary

On 23 September 2009 at about 20:40 local time, a Bell 407 registered N6040Y, operated by Bell Helicopter Textron, was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, 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

23 September 2009 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Fort Worth Alliance (KAFW)

Coordinates

33.0486, -97.2950

Aircraft

Bell 407

Registration

N6040Y

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Bell Helicopter Textron

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Worth → Fort Worth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA604

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the pilot to maintain control during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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, then right rear skid, contacted the ground before the flight instructor could bring the helicopter back to a hover. A postflight examination of the helicopter revealed damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail boom.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.