MD Helicopters 369FF N6068S
5 May 2021 · Mesa, Arizona, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 May 2021 at about 16:00 local time, a MD Helicopters 369FF registered N6068S, operated by MD Helicopters Inc, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mesa, Arizona, United States
- Nearest airport
- Falcon Fld (FFZ)
- Coordinates
- 33.4608, -111.7283
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopters 369FF
- Registration
- N6068S
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2017
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- MD Helicopters Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR21LA183
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
A tail rotor blade strike to an undetermined object while practicing approaches to unimproved terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor reported that, he performed a preflight inspection with the pilot receiving instruction and did not observe any damage to the tail rotor blades before the accident flight. They subsequently departed to a nearby training area and completed several terrain flight approaches to a sandy wash area using standard approach profiles. After one hour of flight and about 15 approaches they returned to their departure airport. While performing a post-flight inspection, the flight instructor and the pilot both observed substantial damage to the tail rotor blades. According to the flight instructor, at no point during the flight did they feel any unusual vibrations with the helicopter, nor did they observe any debris within the landing area. The flight instructor reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other MD Helicopters 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan 2021 | MD Helicopters 369E | Pena Larga, Venezuela | Edima Servicios C.a | Fatal | 4 |
| 8 Feb 2021 | MD Helicopters 369 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | MD Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 2021 | MD Helicopters 369 | Megiddo, Israel | Chim Nir Aviation Holding Ltd. | No injuries | - |
| 2 May 2020 | MD Helicopters 369 | Houston, Texas, United States | City Of Houston | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Mar 2022 | MD Helicopters 369 | Loxahatchee, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jan 2022 | MD Helicopters 369 | International Waters, Panama | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep 2021 | Robinson R44 II | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Universal Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Aug 2021 | Cessna 172F | Tucson, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2021 | Bell 47D | Marana, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2021 | Davis Dan B LANCAIR EVOLUTION | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | CC Aircraft Sales LLC | No injuries | - |
| 1 Dec 2021 | Cessna 510 | Havasu, Arizona, United States | Baker Byron R | No injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 2021 | Cirrus SR22 | Marana, Arizona, United States | OC Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |