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GAA19CA121

2019-01-29 · Tampa, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport VDF

Current FAA registration · N680DG

Make / Model
EUROCOPTER AS 350 B2
Year of manufacture
2007 · 12 years old at event
Engine
TURBOMECA ARRIEL 1D1 (712 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20070907
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A90389

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper landing flare while practicing autorotations, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that, during preparation for the pilot's helicopter commercial check ride, they were going to practice autorotation procedures. He added that, during the second autorotation, he saw that the rotor RPM had dropped significantly, and the pilot was pulling up on the collective. He immediately took over command of the flight controls and attempted to lower the collective. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard, bounced, yawed right, bounced again, and came to rest on the right side of the runway. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor reported that, during preparation for the pilot's helicopter commercial checkride, they were going to practice autorotation procedures. He added that, during the second autorotation, he saw that the rotor rpm had dropped significantly and that the pilot was pulling up on the collective. He immediately took command of the flight controls and attempted to lower the collective. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard, bounced, yawed right, bounced again, and then came to rest on the right side of the runway. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The flight instructor 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_2019_GAA19CA121.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

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