Bell-Watson 47 G N43762

Summary

On 29 January 2015 at about 23:00 local time, a Bell-Watson 47 G registered N43762 was involved in an accident near North Little Rock, Arkansas, 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

29 January 2015 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

North Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

North Little Rock Muni (ORK)

Coordinates

34.8347, -92.2586

Aircraft

Bell-Watson 47 G

Registration

N43762

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1992

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Little Rock → North Little Rock

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA131

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm during the practice touchdown autorotation, which resulted in a subsequent loss of helicopter control and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that he was demonstrating a power-off touchdown autorotation to a large, open paved ramp area. He added that, while flaring the helicopter for touchdown, the rotor "seemed to run have out of energy" but that the rotor tachometer indications did not indicate a reduction in rotor rpm. The tail skid subsequently contacted the asphalt, and the helicopter bounced into a nose-low attitude. The main rotor blades then struck the pavement and the tailboom, which resulted in the complete separation of the tail rotor assembly, the partial separation of both main rotor blades, and damage to the skid gear. The helicopter rotated right about 180 degrees from the landing direction and came to rest upright. A postaccident examination of the helicopter, including the dual tachometer indicator and the rotor tachometer indicator, found no preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The accident sequence is consistent with an inadvertent loss of rotor rpm and subsequent loss of helicopter control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.