NTSB GAA18CA070 — 2017-12-06 · Santa Rosa, Arizona, United States

Current FAA registration · N790AM

Make / Model: EUROCOPTER AS 350 B3
Year of manufacture: 2007 · 10 years old at event
Engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2B1 (747 hp)
Seats / Engines: 6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20080201
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AAB811

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N790AM Eurocopter AS 350 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while landing off-airport, the helicopter landed slightly harder than normal. The helicopter was flown back to the airport without further incident. A post-accident examination revealed the helicopter had sustained substantial damage to the tail-boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, while landing off airport, the helicopter landed slightly harder than normal. The pilot flew the helicopter back to the airport without further incident. A postaccident examination revealed that the helicopter had sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with 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.

C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA18CA070.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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