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ERA24LA172

2024-04-09 · Ceiba, Puerto Rico, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RVR

Current FAA registration · N5841Z

Make / Model
MD HELICOPTERS INC 369FF
Year of manufacture
1999 · 25 years old at event
Engine
ALLISON 250 SER 400HP (400 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19990610
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A78757

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilots’ failure to ensure adequate clearance from the taxiway while performing a quick stop maneuver.

Factual narrative

The accident pilot was new to the company, and he and the chief pilot were practicing quick stop maneuvers in the helicopter. The pilots reported that while performing a quick stop maneuver over a taxiway, they heard a noise before the nose of the helicopter began turning right and the skids touched down. Postaccident examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that its horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. Photographs of the horizontal stabilizer and tail rotor displayed signatures consistent with both contacting the ground during the quick stop maneuver. The pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical 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.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_ERA24LA172.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.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (icing). All research papers