McDonnell Douglas MD600N N9202L
18 January 1997 · Flagstaff, Arizona, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 January 1997 at about 19:20 local time, a McDonnell Douglas MD600N registered N9202L was involved in an accident near Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
- Nearest airport
- Flagstaff Pulliam (FLG)
- Coordinates
- 35.2903, -111.3200
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas MD600N
- Registration
- N9202L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97FA091
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
failure of the manufacturer to follow its directive to develop corrective measures in response to known accident data, and their failure to ensure that pertinent information (in engineering department) was communicated to the test pilot and flight test engineer (in flight test).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During a certification test flight, the pilot was following test card procedures to establish parameters for a height-velocity diagram. He began an autorotation, using a 1-second delay (to simulate pilot reaction time) before lowering the collective. As the autorotation progressed, the helicopter developed a rate of descent that the pilot was unable to check. Subsequently, the helicopter touched down hard, the skids collapsed, and the tailboom was severed by the main rotor blades. The helicopter slid off the runway into snow and rolled onto its right side. Circumstances identified in this accident had been identified during previous investigations of flight test accidents with this helicopter, but that information had not been provided to this test pilot and flight test engineer.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 1997 | Beechcraft 99-C99 | Meadview, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1997 | Mooney M20J | Sedona, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Dec 1997 | Piper PA-11 | Willow Beach, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Oct 1997 | Blackwell MIDGET MUSTANG | Glendale, Arizona, United States | Rodney L. Link | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1997 | American 8KCAB | Payson, Arizona, United States | Roger Parks | No injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 1997 | Cessna 150 | Temple Bar, Arizona, United States | Blair C. Peterson | No injuries | - |