Bell 206-L4 N2036F

Summary

On 10 May 2013 at about 15:00 local time, a Bell 206-L4 registered N2036F, operated by Bell Helicopter Customer Training Academy, was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, 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

10 May 2013 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

32.9875, -97.3186

Aircraft

Bell 206-L4

Registration

N2036F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Bell Helicopter Customer Training Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Worth → Fort Worth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13CA276

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action during a practice 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 pilot receiving instruction was performing a practice right 180-degree autorotation. During the approach, the airspeed decreased to about 40 knots, which shortened the approach angle. At 8 to 10 feet above the ground, the flight instructor advised the pilot to apply forward cyclic while maintaining the collective position. The flight instructor then "used what was left of the rotor rpm to cushion the landing." During the touchdown, the helicopter landed hard, which resulted in structural damage to the tailboom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.