N123HP is a 1980 Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1. It is a rotorcraft with 7 seats, powered by a Rolls-Royc 250-C40B rated at 715 horsepower. The registration is active, with the registrant based in Mesa, AZ. Its standard airworthiness certificate was issued in Sep 2007. It has been registered to its current owner since May 2007. This page also carries 1 NTSB event.
- 46 years old
- 1 of 158 Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1
2007
That's everything on file so far — TailWiki checks the FAA registry daily and adds new entries as N123HP's record changes.
During a flight for the purpose of the second pilot to acquire the minimum flight hours to act as pilot-in-command, he and the owner of the helicopter were practicing autorotation's from flight to a power recovery. The owner stated that on the fourth autorotation the second pilot allowed the rotor rpm to decay and then froze on the controls, not allowing him to increase the throttle. He was able to level the helicopter; however, it landed hard and the main rotor blades struck and severed the tail boom.The second pilot reported that at the initiation of the maneuver, the owner rolled the throttle off, and the downwind glide was established. The second pilot stated that as he leveled the helicopter and collective was pulled, he realized that the engine was not completely back on line. The owner subsequently took over the flight controls and flew the helicopter to the ground.
Both pilots reported the need for better verbal commands or stating intentions throughout the maneuver.
Neither pilot reported a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
No photos yet. Sign in to add the first one.