MIA00LA011

Factual narrative

On October 19, 1999, about 1705 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-44, N8364Z, registered to Heliflight Leasing, Inc., operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 sales demonstration flight, sustained a main rotor strike and separation of the tail boom upon landing at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter received substantial damage and the CFI-rated pilot, a private pilot-rated student, and a passenger were not injured. The flight departed the same airport about 1 hour before the accident. According to the pilot-in-command, as he set the helicopter down for final landing, the craft bounced 1 to 2 inches and at the top of the bounce, he mistakenly applied right cyclic. Despite his applying corrective controls, the main rotor collided with the ground and the tail boom. In rapid succession, the nose pivoted 180 degrees, the tail boom was severed, and the landing skids sustained ground collision damage. In subsequent telephone conversations with the NTSB, the pilot stated that there were no contributing factors such as surface winds, propeller or rotor wash, or helicopter control problems, and he would characterize the event as, "..just bad technique". The pilot stated that as he transitioned from hover to landing during the sales demonstration flight, the helicopter bounced 1 to 2 inches after touchdown, and he mistakenly applied right cyclic. The main rotor struck the ground and severed the tail boom, yawing the rotorcraft 180 degrees and damaging the landing skids. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12