Boeing 369E N685F

Summary

On 24 September 1998 at about 22:40 local time, a Boeing 369E registered N685F was involved in an accident near Mesa, Arizona, 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

24 September 1998 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Falcon Field (FFZ)

Coordinates

33.4297, -111.7105

Aircraft

Boeing 369E

Registration

N685F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Falcon Field → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA304

Nobody was injured.

A hard landing caused by the pilot's improper flare during a simulated autorotatative landing. A factor in the accident was the soft wet sod landing area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instructor pilot and his student were practicing autorotations to a turf area, which was wet and soft. The instructor pilot demonstrated a 180-degree autorotation, which he said appeared to finish with a normal deceleration flare and touchdown. After touchdown the instructor pilot stated he heard a loud rattling sound coming from the tailboom. The aircraft was examined and found that during the autorotation, the tailrotor blades had hit the ground causing damage to the tail rotor blades and tailboom, and it had severed the tail rotor driveshaft. Ground witnesses said the helicopter hit the ground harder than normal.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.