ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 178904
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| Date: | Wednesday 23 June 2004 |
| Time: | 11:15 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | Los Angeles City Fire Department |
| Registration: | N305FD |
| MSN: | 4541 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2000 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1169 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C20-J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Lancaster, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Los Angeles-Van Nuys Airport, CA (VNY/KVNY) |
| Lancaster-William J Fox Airport, CA (WJF/KWJF) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter landed hard and rolled on its side during a practice autorotation. The CFI and pilot-undergoing-instruction (PUI) were practicing a 180-degree autorotation. The PUI rolled out onto final at 400 feet agl. The PUI said that about 70 feet agl he leveled the helicopter, rolled in throttle, and started his flare. About 50 feet agl, he leveled in the flare because the helicopter "did not feel like it was building energy" and was not as effective in the flare. The rotor rpm was at 100 percent. He noted that there seemed to be not enough engine power to recover. He leveled the aircraft to get out of the flare and raised the collective. The low rotor horn sounded shortly after. The helicopter landed hard, bounced, spun around, hit the ground again, and rolled over on its right side. The Los Angeles City Fire Department "flare autorotations" procedure states "At approximately 75 feet from the ground, you begin your flare by applying a smooth pressure on the cyclic, flaring the ship at the right altitude and leveling the ship from a flare require quick but smooth movement of the cyclic...You will lost some altitude coming out of the flare but the ship should be level by the time you reach 10 feet." An engine teardown was conducted, with no anomalies found. The fuel control and governor bench tested to specifications.
Probable Cause: The pilot's misjudged autorotative flare and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action and inadequate supervision of the flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040712X00950&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Aug-2015 17:25 | Noro | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 18:05 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Mar-2021 16:15 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 01-May-2022 08:53 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator] |
| 16-Nov-2022 09:24 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 30-May-2023 00:26 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Location, Departure airport, Destination airport]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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