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ERA23LA157

2023-03-21 · Livonia, New York, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport N/A

Current FAA registration · N73905

Make / Model
BELL 47G-2A-1
Year of manufacture
1963 · 60 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING VO-435 SERIES (260 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19630228
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A9EEF0

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s delayed action to arrest the high descent rate during a practice autorotation in tailwind conditions which ultimately resulted in loss of control.

Factual narrative

During a practice autorotation with a tail wind, the pilot began the maneuver and the helicopter initially lost airspeed; the pilot immediately corrected with forward cyclic input, which also increased his descent rate. The higher than normal descent rate continued, and he began the power recovery earlier than normal. Shortly before touchdown, the pilot noticed a slope in the terrain with the rising side to his aft. The helicopter continued to descend and the helicopter’s tail rotor contacted the ground during the landing flare. The resulting impact resulted in a loss of control and substantial damage to the tail boom and tail rotor. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA157.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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