Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E accident near St. Louis, Missouri, December 2, 2021
On December 2, 2021 at about 6:58 pm local time, a 1987 Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E, registered N911PH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near St. Louis, Missouri (Spirit Of St Louis Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to apply power during the recovery procedure for the practice autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 2021 · about 6:58 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Spirit Of St Louis Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E, built 1987 · all 369Es on the register
- Registration
- N911PH · registry record · serial 0217E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he intended to perform a straight-in autorotation that would terminate with a power on recovery procedure over the runway. The autorotation was performed without incident; however, the pilot did not advance the engine power in time for the recovery. The helicopter impacted the runway hard and came to rest upright on the skids. During the impact sequence, the main rotor blades contacted and severed the tail boom, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operations.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,330 hours in all; 1,257 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 1,262 as pilot in command; 178 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 24, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 55 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 16 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 8, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,203 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 2021; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250 (turboshaft); 12,704 hours total
- Operator: St Louis County Police Department
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26L, 7,485 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from KSUS
Weather report (METAR): KSUS 021854Z 25006KT 10SM CLR 21/03 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP135 T02110028
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN22LA063.