NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN23LA404
Registry · N8372F
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELICOPTER 369E
Year of manufacture
1991 · 32 years old at event
TCDS
H3WE · MD HELICOPTERS INC (MDHI)
Engine
ALLISON 250-C20 SER (420 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19910915
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB74FF
Registrant of record
CITY OF HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The instructor’s failure to re-apply engine power during a power recovery after a practice autorotation which resulted in a hard landing.
Factual narrative
During an evaluation flight with a company pilot, the instructor pilot reported that he failed to re-apply engine power prior to the completion of a practice autorotation with a power recovery. During the maneuver, the instructor’s attention was diverted from reapplying engine power by an airplane holding short of the runway near their planned touchdown point. The helicopter subsequently landed hard on the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions of failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Powerplant parameters-Incorrect use/operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_CEN23LA404.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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