NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA24LA287
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The helicopter pilot’s improper maneuvering at low altitude in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in the helicopter entering a vortex ring state, and hard landing during a subsequent autorotation.
Factual narrative
As part of a law enforcement simulation exercise, the helicopter pilot was orbiting near the departure airport between 200 to 300 ft above ground level, at 20 to 40 knots indicated airspeed. The pilot described that while the helicopter was in a left orbit the airspeed decreased to near 0. At that time, the helicopter began to descend in a vortex ring state (VRS). Due to the low altitude, the pilot was not able to recover from VRS and entered an autorotation to a grass area on the airport. The helicopter subsequently landed hard and came to rest upright in the grass area resulting in substantial damage to the helicopter’s tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter. 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-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2024_ERA24LA287.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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