Pilot Debrief

BRANTLY B 2B near Essex, MD — 2014-05-25

Final reportERA14CA259
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Date
2014-05-25
Location
Essex, MD, USA
Aircraft
BRANTLY B 2B
Registration
N9023Z
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control during landing resulting in a hard landing and a roll over.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilot during an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the purpose of the flight was to practice approaches and hovering. As the helicopter neared the ground, he pulled collective to enter a hover when it began to rotate clockwise. He was unable to stop the rotation and the helicopter made two full rotations prior to impacting the ground. The passenger reported that the helicopter impacted the ground "hard, but not too hard." The helicopter bounced, rolled over, and came to rest on the left side of the fuselage, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades, the fuselage, and tailboom. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. In addition, the pilot stated that the passenger was "ride[ing] along" on the flight controls.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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