ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 291797
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| Date: | Monday 18 September 2006 |
| Time: | 07:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 47G |
| Owner/operator: | Arrow Aviation |
| Registration: | N7762 |
| MSN: | K-931 |
| Engine model: | Franklin VO-335 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Angels Camp, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rancho Murieta, CA (KRIU) |
| Rancho Murieta, CA (KRIU) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During an approach to land on a flat clear-cut plateau near a local vineyard, the wind shifted and the helicopter landed hard coming to rest on its left side. The pilot noted various obstacles at the approach end of the landing zone; two trees about 50 feet apart from each other, which he intended to fly between, a 6-foot-high mound, followed by a 2-foot hole, and another 2-foot mound, and then a flat area with no additional obstacles. On the approach, the wind shifted from a headwind to a tail wind. The pilot reported that the airspeed dropped below ETL (effective translational lift) and resulted in a loss of lift. He pushed the cyclic forward to gain forward airspeed and applied cyclic and power to avoid contacting the terrain below the top of the plateau. This maneuver assisted in gaining altitude, placing the helicopter above the plateau, but not above the 6-foot mound. He flared the helicopter, and as it passed over the mound, the tail rotor guard struck the top of the mound, which placed the helicopter in a nose down attitude. One of the landing gear skids collided with the 2-foot mound, which broke off the tailboom. At that point, the helicopter yawed to the right and started to roll to the left, and came to rest about 5 feet from the mound, lying on its left side.
Probable Cause: a hard landing due to the pilot's inadequate compensation for a wind shift encountered on final approach and his failure to maintain an adequate translational lift airspeed.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX06CA296
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Oct-2022 19:01 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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