Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Port Isabel - Cameron County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Port Isabel, Texas 76566
Thursday, January 26, 2006 10:25 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The 5,591-hour helicopter flight instructor reported that he was on the second day of training of a newly hired 10,000-hour commercial helicopter rated pilot. After the pilot's first landing on Runway 03 (4,999-feet long by 150-feet wide asphalt-concrete runway), the flight instructor asked the pilot to perform an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) takeoff (as described in the company's operations manual), and then enter the local traffic pattern. The flight instructor stated that the EMS takeoff procedure began by the pilot bringing the helicopter to a three to five foot hover in order to conduct a power check prior to the application of takeoff power. While the helicopter was at a hover, the flight instructor initiated a hovering autorotation; the pilot immediately applied forward cyclic, and then pulled up on the collective. The flight instructor considered the pilot's flight control inputs to be excessive, resulting in a high sink rate and an undesirable helicopter attitude for touchdown. The instructor immediately took control of the helicopter and brought it back to a level attitude in an attempt to cushion the landing. The flight instructor stated that the main rotor RPM was low and most of the collective had been used to prevent a nose low impact. The helicopter then descended approximately one to two feet, impacting terrain in a level attitude and then bounced forward approximately four feet.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM and his improper touchdown during a simulated hovering autorotation. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/26/2006 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1025 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | Port Isabel |
| Event State | TEXAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 76566 |
| Event Date Year | 2006 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 260935N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0972027W |
| Event Location Airport | Port Isabel - Cameron County |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | KPIL |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 19 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1053 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | KPIL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 19 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 13 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 50 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.36 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 19511 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA COMM Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 26 2006 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 25 2006 11:00AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | San Antonio, Texas |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N911ES |
| NTSB Number | DFW06CA062 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Eurocopter France |
| Aircraft Model | AS-350-B2 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2665 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4961 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | AAIP |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 1 2006 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 5997 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Metro Aviation |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1400 Airport Dr. #120 |
| Aircraft Owner City | Shreveport |
| Aircraft Owner State | LA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 71107 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Frederick A. Rappleyea Jr. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 131 Palladium LN |
| Operator City | Shreveport |
| Operator State | LA |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 71115 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 78TS |
| Departure City | Harlingen |
| Departure State | TX |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1012 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | KPIL |
| Destination City | Port Isabel |
| Destination State | TX |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing - flare/touchdown |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 2 2009 2:49PM |
| User who most recently changed record | johb |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 03 |
| Runway Length | 4999 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | Yes |
| Medical Flight | -- |