Brantly B-2B N9023Z
9 August 2009 · Martinsville, Indiana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 9 August 2009 at about 16:00 local time, a Brantly B-2B registered N9023Z, operated by McDaniel Mark O, was involved in an accident near Martinsville, Indiana, United States. One person was 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Martinsville, Indiana, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.4536, -86.2800
- Aircraft
- Brantly B-2B
- Registration
- N9023Z
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- McDaniel Mark O
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Martinsville → Martinsville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN09CA511
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper recovery during the autorotation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's delayed remedial action to abort the practice autorotation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was practicing solo 180-degree autorotations in preparation for a private pilot helicopter add-on rating. During the accident autorotation, the helicopter was in a left turn at an altitude of 500 feet above ground level(agl). The helicopter exited the turn "a little low and lost some rotor speed." While attempting to recover the low rotor speed, the pilot had to extend his glide path more than he anticipated due to approaching terrain and obstacles, which in turn slowed the forward airspeed. The pilot reported, "Of course I wish I had abandoned the auto at this point. I flared [the helicopter] but with high density altitude and the out of ground effect of the soybeans, I still entered the thick-drilled soybeans, which piled up on my right skid." The helicopter then rolled over and came to rest on its right side. Examination of the helicopter revealed the main rotor blades were destroyed and the fuselage was buckled. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Brantly B-2B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 2009 | Brantly B-2B | Cement, Oklahoma, United States | Robert H Jenkins | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 2010 | Brantly B-2B | East Troy, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Nov 2010 | Brantly B-2B | Post, Texas, United States | Beach Paul A | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Nov 2008 | Brantly B-2B | Camas, Washington, United States | David S. Spencer | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 2008 | Brantly B-2B | Cedar Hill, Texas, United States | Inverted U S | No injuries | - |
| 27 May 2011 | Brantly B-2B | Weaverville, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2009 | Cessna 210 | Richmond, Indiana, United States | Richard Miller | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2009 | Sportflight ASTRA HKS | Bloomfield, Indiana, United States | Johnson David C | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Jun 2009 | Throckmorton Matthew E F1-EVO | Mitchell, Indiana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 2009 | Fritz RV3-A | Greencastle, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Feb 2009 | Cessna 152 | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States | Fort Wayne Flight Academy Inc | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 2009 | Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de ERJ 170-20 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | Republic Airline Inc | Serious injuries | - |