Hughes TH-55A accident near Phoenix, Arizona, September 29, 2000
On September 29, 2000 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Hughes TH-55A (helicopter), registered N331SD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Deer Valley airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's misjudged flare during a simulated autorotation, which led to a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2000 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix Deer Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes TH-55A · all TH-55As on the register
- Registration
- N331SD · no longer on the register · serial 291105
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single engine helicopter experienced a main rotor-tail boom strike at the termination of a practice autorotation. The flight instructor reported that he was demonstrating a 180-degree practice autorotation, and said that the entry, airspeed, rate of descent, deceleration, flare, and touchdown were normal. After touchdown he estimated that there was a ground slide of about 5 to 8 feet. As the aircraft stopped, he heard a loud sharp sound that was accompanied by sustained vibration and an uncommanded right yaw of about 30 degrees. After he and the student exited the helicopter, he noted that the main rotor blades had contacted the tail boom, damaging the tail rotor drive shaft, tail boom, as well as all the main rotor and tail rotor blades. The flight instructor stated that he did not perceive any action or inaction on his part that could be construed as detrimental to the safe outcome of the maneuver. According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site and examined the helicopter, there were no signs of mechanical problems that would have contributed to the accident. The flight instructor had accumulated approximately 1,320 hours of helicopter flight time, of which approximately 800 hours were obtained in the same make and model as the accident helicopter.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,365 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 6,230 as pilot in command; 650 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 30, 1999
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,978 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 1,674 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 26, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,746.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1999; 16.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 5:30 pm
- Destination: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 16,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from PHX, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 LAX00TA355.