MD Helicopter 369 accident near Mesa, Arizona, February 8, 2021
On February 8, 2021 at about 10:30 pm local time, a 2000 MD Helicopter 369, registered N7032V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Arizona (Falcon Field 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper pitch attitude for landing and the inadequate supervision of the flight instructor, resulted in the main rotor blades impacting the tail boom.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2021 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · Falcon Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopter 369 E, built 2000
- Registration
- N7032V · no longer on the register · serial 553E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter flight instructor reported that the intent of the flight was to perform autorotation training. With the foreign rated pilot at the flight controls, he noted a nose-high attitude while performing an autorotation. The touchdown was not hard or aggressive but when the helicopter rotated forward on the ground, the main rotor blades flexed down and impacted the tail boom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Autorotation Miscellaneous/other defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,642 hours in all; 620 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 4,889 as pilot in command; 2,705 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 24, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: foreign licence
- Ratings: instructor: instrument helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,805.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 14, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20B (turboshaft); 63,626 hours total
- Operator: MD Helicopters, Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from KFFZ
Weather report (METAR): KFFZ 082154Z 21005KT 10SM CLR 23/M07 A2993 RMK AO2 SLP120 T02281072
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 1, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.