NTSB Factual Report

On November 15, 2003, at 1045 eastern standard time, a Hughes OH-6A, N536, registered to and operated by MG Aviation, collided with the ground during an instructional flight at Greenville Downtown Airport, Greenville, South Carolina. The instructional flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and commercial pilot did not report any injuries. The flight departed Greenville Downtown Airport Greenville, South Carolina, on November 15, 2003, at 1045.

According to the CFI, while conducting an instructional flight an autorotation was performed. After the autorotation the CFI brought the helicopter to a hover, and then climbed to an altitude of approximately 200 feet for another practice autorotation. The helicopter briefly shuttered and the aft section of the tail boom separated from the airframe. The helicopter began spinning and came to rest in a thicket of pine trees.

According to a witness at the scene of the practice autorotation, he recalled hearing a loud "pop" when the helicopter touched down. The CFI did not hear or feel anything unusual during or after the autorotation, and reported a normal takeoff. A survey of the first touchdown point revealed a pie shaped piece of blue metal on the ground. Further examination revealed the pie shaped piece of metal fit an area on the tail boom. Examination revealed the main rotor blades had blue paint on the tips. No mechanical or flight control malfunctions were reported by the CFI.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's improper landing flare, resulting in a hard landing and a main rotor/tailboom strike.