Bell 407 N2592T

Summary

On 27 February 2009 at about 21:15 local time, a Bell 407 registered N2592T, operated by City of Dallas, was involved in an accident near Lancaster, Texas, United States. 4 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

27 February 2009 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Lancaster, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Lancaster Airport (KLNC)

Coordinates

32.5792, -96.7189

Aircraft

Bell 407

Registration

N2592T

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

City of Dallas

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dallas Exec Air → Dallas Exec Air

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA203

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the pilot to maintain adequate main rotor rpm and the failure of the CFI to provide appropriate instruction during the maneuver.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was practicing a forced landing with a certified flight instructor (CFI) providing instruction. After the maneuver was initiated, the CFI recognized the helicopter was not settling quickly enough so he limited the amount of collective the commercial pilot could apply. As the helicopter slowed, the main rotor revolutions per minute (rpm) slowed. After the rear of the skids touched down the main rotor rpm continued to decay, and the front of the skids dropped eight to 10 inches onto the runway. During the landing two main rotor blades contacted both auxiliary fins on the tail boom. Examination of the damaged main rotor blades revealed substantial damage due to delamination and inner core damage on both blades.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.