ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 144886
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| Date: | Friday 23 March 2012 |
| Time: | 14:55 |
| Type: |  Bell 407 |
| Owner/operator: | Palm Beach Co Sheriff's Office |
| Registration: | N31PB |
| MSN: | 53569 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6201 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls Royce 250-C47B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Delray Beach, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Palm Beach AFB, FL (PBI/KPBI) |
| Palm Beach AFB, FL (PBI/KPBI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While in cruise flight during the law enforcement aerial surveillance and evaluation flight, the instructor induced a simulated engine failure. The pilot being evaluated rolled the throttle from the idle position back to the flight position instead of lowering the collective to maintain rotor rpm. The instructor then took control of the helicopter, but he did not lower the collective either, and the main rotor rpm subsequently decayed to well below the lower limit of the normal operating range. The low-rotor condition resulted in a loss of helicopter control and glide capability and a subsequent hard landing in trees. Examination of the flight department’s training program revealed that the conditions and standards for the performance of a simulated engine failure were not outlined as a separate task within the manual and that the manual did not provide information regarding entry altitudes, callouts, recovery altitudes and procedures, or maneuver termination protocols. The instructor reported no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper response to a simulated engine failure and the instructor’s delayed and improper remedial action.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Apr-2012 18:02 | Geno | Added |
| 08-Apr-2012 18:11 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 02-Mar-2013 13:44 | TB | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 15-Nov-2014 20:21 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Dec-2014 14:36 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:27 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-May-2023 07:37 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]] |
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