Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter C MD 500E accident near Sunrise Beach, MO
On May 26, 2008, a Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter C MD 500E (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Sunrise Beach, MO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 26, 2008
- Place
- Sunrise Beach, MO
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter C MD 500E · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.181°N, 92.658°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080529X00752
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 25, 2008, at 1921 central daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company MD 500E/369E, N686F, operated by a commercial pilot, impacted the water while attempting to land at a private helipad at Lake of the Ozarks, Sunrise Beach, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and two passengers reported no injuries; one passenger sustained serious injuries, and one passenger was fatally injured. The local flight departed at 1917. According to the pilot, the short helicopter ride was planned to fly the neighbor's children, his son, and his son's friend around the lake. The flight departed the pilot's residence, proceeded "across the north ridge of the lake," and then reversed course to proceed back towards the pilot's residence. The pilot reported that during approach for landing he initiated a turn towards the east and within a "few second at an altitude of approximately 35 feet, the helicopter began to spin rapidly to the right." The pilot stated that he "applied full opposite direction anti-torque pedal and a slight reduction in collective." He reported that the rotation "increased and became more violent." The helicopter impacted the water and sank. Prior to the spinning, there were no warning lights or sounds. According to the front seat passenger, the flight was short, approximately five minutes in duration. She had not flown in a helicopter before and commented th
Probable cause
The loss of tail rotor effectiveness and the pilot's failure to regain aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to fly in known adverse weather conditions and the gusty winds generated from convective outflow. Contributing to the severity of the injuries was the pilot's failure to provide a safety briefing to his passengers in accordance with Federal Aviation Regulat
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
