Aerospatiale AS350 N188FS

Summary

On 18 February 2020 at about 20:50 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350 registered N188FS, operated by Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, was involved in an accident near Tampa, Florida, 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

18 February 2020 at 20:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Tampa, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Tampa Executive (VDF)

Coordinates

28.0139, -82.3453

Aircraft

Aerospatiale AS350

Registration

N188FS

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tampa → Tampa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20CA106

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's inadvertent throttle reduction below idle, which resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent impact with terrain following a power-off autorotation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor in the helicopter reported that he directed the pilot receiving instruction to conduct an autorotation with a 180° turn, followed by a power recovery. Abeam the departure end of runway, he moved the throttle lever from the "fly" position to idle. While conducting the maneuver, the pilot overshot the runway and aligned the helicopter with the parallel taxiway. Upon realizing that the helicopter was not in the correct position, the pilots chose to abort the maneuver and perform a go-around. While the pilot continued to fly the helicopter, the instructor inadvertently moved the throttle lever from idle aft toward the "off" position and then forward to the "fly" position. The engine experienced a total loss of power, and the instructor adjusted the throttle to no avail. As the helicopter descended, the pilot requested that the instructor "get on the controls." The instructor took the controls, conducted a power-off autorotation, and landed the helicopter on the taxiway. The helicopter skidded about 180 ft, departed the taxiway onto adjacent grass, and came to rest in a drainage ditch. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administrator inspector who examined the helicopter reported that the left antivibrator mount beam had sustained substantial damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.