Primary finding
Probable cause
The improper flare by the pilot receiving instruction, which resulted in the hard landing. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight instructor demonstrated an out of ground effect (OGE) autorotation from 500 feet agl and 0 knots. The pilot receiving instruction was then requested to perform an OGE autorotation from 500 feet agl and 0 knots. During the pilot's second OGE autorotation, he "rolled the throttle off and moved the cyclic slightly forward." The airspeed did not climb above 45 knots and an excessive rate of descent was encountered. The pilot used almost no cyclic to flare the helicopter; however, he pulled "all collective available" prior to touchdown. The helicopter touched down hard.
Source record
Factual narrative
On May 7, 2003, at 1025 central daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N81519, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at the Bell Helicopter Auxiliary Heliport (Flight Training Strip), Hurst, Texas. The helicopter was registered to Textron Financial Corporation, of Wichita, Kansas, and was operated by Bell Helicopter Textron, of Fort Worth, Texas. The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction (who held a commercial-rotorcraft pilot certificate that was issued in Israel) were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The local flight originated from the Bell Helicopter Hurst Heliport, Hurst, Texas, at 0955. According to both pilots, the flight instructor demonstrated an out of ground effect (OGE) autorotation from 500 feet agl and 0 knots. The pilot receiving instruction was then requested to perform an OGE autorotation from 500 feet agl and 0 knots. During the pilot's second OGE autorotation, he "rolled the throttle off and moved the cyclic slightly forward." The airspeed did not climb above 45 knots and an "excessive rate of descent" was encountered. The pilot used almost no cyclic to flare the helicopter; however, he pulled "all collective available" prior to touchdown. The helicopter touched down hard wrinkling the tailboom.