Skip to content

CEN12CA269

2012-04-29 · Hugo, Oklahoma, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport HHW

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inadequate collective control inputs while performing a hovering autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the check airman's delayed remedial action.

Factual narrative

A check airman was giving the pilot in command a night vision goggle (NVG) annual check ride in the emergency medical service helicopter. After a satisfactory slope landing, the pilot in command repositioned the helicopter to a flat area and performed a hovering autorotation which resulted in a hard landing. The check airman then demonstrated a second hovering autorotation and the pilot in command performed a third hovering autorotation which was satisfactory. The check airman continued the annual check ride. After the flight, during a post flight inspection, substantial damage was discovered to the tail boom and the aft portion of the fuselage. The damage was consistent with a hard landing, presumably incurred during the first hovering autorotation in which the helicopter landed hard. In a statement provided to the NTSB, the check airman said that he should have guarded the collective more to limit the amount of control input during the practice autorotation maneuvers. A check airman was giving the pilot-in-command (PIC) an annual check ride with night vision goggles in the emergency medical service helicopter. After a satisfactory slope landing, the PIC repositioned the helicopter to a flat area and performed a hovering autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. The check airman then demonstrated a second hovering autorotation, and the PIC performed another hovering autorotation that was satisfactory. The check airman continued the annual check ride. After the flight, during a post-flight examination, substantial damage was discovered to the tail boom and the aft portion of the fuselage. The damage was consistent with a hard landing, presumably incurred during the first hovering autorotation in which the helicopter landed hard. In a statement provided to the NTSB, the check airman said that he should have guarded the collective more to limit the amount of control input during the practice autorotation maneuvers. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_CEN12CA269.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.