MD Helicopters 600 N613BP

Summary

On 12 October 2009 at about 18:00 local time, a MD Helicopters 600 registered N613BP, operated by Department of Homeland Security, was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, 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

12 October 2009 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Nearest airport

Gillespie Field Airport (SEE)

Coordinates

32.8261, -116.9722

Aircraft

MD Helicopters 600

Registration

N613BP

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Department of Homeland Security

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → San Diego

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10TA016

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate main rotor rpm during an autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot-in-command (PIC), he was performing autorotations at the lower part of the main rotor rpm green arc in part due to weight considerations. Upon entering the accident autorotation, he maintained an airspeed between 85-90 knots in the hope that extra speed would allow a more aggressive deceleration flare prior to touchdown, which should in turn further slow the rate of descent and forward speed. The helicopter's rate of descent was high, and as the PIC turned the helicopter onto the runway heading it was apparent to him that the rate of descent was excessive and that he was too low to execute either a proper deceleration flare or perform a power recovery. He attempted to level the helicopter as much as possible prior to impact to minimize the damage to the helicopter and prevent injury. The helicopter landed hard with the left skid contacting the runway first. The left skid collapsed, damaging the outboard landing gear damper attachment structure. The helicopter slid about 100 yards before coming to a stop. According to the manufacturer, the main rotor rpm range is 90 percent to 106.4 percent. At the helicopter's weight and the density altitude on the day of the accident, the main rotor rpm during the autorotation should have been above the 106.4 percent limit (red line), requiring the pilot to increase collective pitch to maintain the rotor rpm within limits. Performing autorotations at the lower part of the green arc provides less availability of rotor energy to perform an autorotation landing. The pilot should have recognized that he was not achieving the required main rotor rpm for the autorotations and terminated the maneuvers. The helicopter was within weight and balance limits.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.