NTSB Factual Report

On July 18, 2017, at 2030 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Baby Belle helicopter, N211CJ, was substantially damaged during a hard landing near Spartanburg, South Carolina. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to a private company and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 as a local, personal flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated at Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (SPA), Spartanburg, South Carolina at 2000.

According to the pilot, he was returning from a local flight around the airfield and was preparing to land. While flying about 4 ft above ground level at an indicated airspeed between 16 to 24 mph, he felt a shudder and the helicopter yawed to the right. He added left antitorque pedal input and overcorrected, then adjusted with right antitorque pedal input, which confirmed he had tail rotor authority. He reported that when the helicopter straightened out, he did not recall hearing any engine noise, although he had the doors off. The next thing he recalled was that he was on the ground and the helicopter was leaking fuel. He also reported he did not hear any horns or audible annunciations.

The pilot recovered the wreckage to a storage facility and reported the event to the National Transportation Safety Board on July 24. Initial examination of the wreckage revealed that the airframe sustained substantial damaged during the accident. The main rotor blades were bent and delaminated and the tailboom was severed.

Subsequent examination of the wreckage revealed control continuity from the cyclic and collective controls in the cockpit to the main rotor area. All fractures in the collective and cyclic control linkages were consistent with overload. Continuity was also established from the antitorque pedals to the tail cone. The tail rotor drive shaft was severed in multiple places. All fractures on the tail rotor drive shaft exhibited overload signatures and the bearings moved freely. The 90º gearbox rotated freely without binding.

An initial examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft would not rotate. Further examination revealed oil in two of the cylinders resulting in a hydraulic lock condition. After the oil was drained, the engine could be turned freely. A test run of the engine was subsequently performed. The engine started normally using the cockpit controls and ran without evidence of a malfunction or anomaly.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records, the pilot did not possess a rotorcraft-helicopter rating at the time of the accident. The pilot reported 46 hours of rotorcraft flight experience, all in the make and model of the accident helicopter.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control during the approach to landing.