Hughes 500 N5189K
6 May 2010 · West Palm Beach, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 May 2010 at about 16:20 local time, a Hughes 500 registered N5189K, operated by County of Gwinnett Georgia, was involved in an accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- North Palm Beach County (F45)
- Coordinates
- 26.8408, -80.2250
- Aircraft
- Hughes 500
- Registration
- N5189K
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- County of Gwinnett Georgia
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- West Palm Beach → West Palm Beach
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA10CA255
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The commercial pilot's improper flare during a simulated autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The certificated commercial helicopter pilot reported that he was practicing autorotations with a certificated flight instructor (CFI). The CFI stated that the first autorotation "went well," and ended with a "nice cushioned landing." During the second autorotation, the commercial pilot flared 100 feet above the ground and applied cyclic control to cushion the landing. The helicopter "settled abruptly," impacted the taxiway firmly, and bounced. A main rotor blade struck and partially severed the tail boom. No preaccident mechanical anomalies were noted with the helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 500 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 2011 | Hughes 500D | Ambler, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 12 Nov 2011 | Hughes 500 | Andratx, Spain | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Jul 2011 | Hughes 500D | McGrath, Alaska, United States | Soloy Helicopters LLC | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 2013 | Hughes 500D | Delta Junction, Alaska, United States | Soloy Helicopters LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2005 | Hughes 500D | Ambler, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2004 | Hughes 500D | Iliamna, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters Ltd | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2010 | Long EZ | Leesburg, Florida, United States | Allen Dunlap | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 2010 | Aero Commander 560E | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 2010 | Mooney M20E | New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2010 | Cessna 152 | Cross City, Florida, United States | Pelican FTC | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 2010 | Interstate S1A | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Mar 2010 | Hughes 369 | Naples, Florida, United States | Collier Mosquito Control District | No injuries | - |