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| Date: | Thursday 27 June 2024 |
| Time: | 15:34 |
| Type: |  Airbus Helicopters H125 (AS 350B3e) |
| Owner/operator: | Seminole County Sheriff's Office |
| Registration: | N174SC |
| MSN: | 9349 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2023 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB/KSFB), Sanford, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Aerial patrol |
| Departure airport: | Orlando Sanford International Airport, FL (SFB/KSFB) |
| Orlando Sanford International Airport, FL (SFB/KSFB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
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.
Probable Cause: 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.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194587
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Jul-2024 01:52 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 04-Jul-2024 07:30 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 01-Aug-2024 16:40 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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