ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 233189
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| Date: | Tuesday 18 February 2020 |
| Time: | 15:50 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Hillsborough Co Sheriff's Office |
| Registration: | N188FS |
| MSN: | 7863 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2014 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2627 hours |
| Engine model: | SAFRAN/Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Tampa Executive Airport, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Tampa-Peter O. Knight Airport, FL (TPF/KTPF) |
| Tampa Executive Airport, FL (KVDF) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
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.
Probable Cause: 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.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Feb-2020 21:09 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 01-Sep-2020 16:57 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Total occupants, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 01-Sep-2020 19:38 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 23-Nov-2020 09:44 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Phase, Accident report] |
| 30-May-2023 07:29 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Aircraft type, Phase, Accident report]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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