Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

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cncpc
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Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by cncpc »

Looks like a Hughes/Schweitzer 300. Some kind of emergency that was in effect for long enough for the emergency services to arrive at the time of the accident.

It looks like the blades weren't turning at impact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-cR-hkkB0Q
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by PilotDAR »

Seeing the short path of disturbed soil just before the flipped over wreck, one might infer that the helicopter hit hard, bounced and flipped over. Seeing the location of the crash relative to the runway, one could infer that the pilot was trying to "make it" to the runway. 300's autorotate nicely, but not far, and leave very little to stretch the glide with. In an auto, best plan to land just over your toes.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Cat Driver »

The H300 is a really nice little helicopter and the basic design has not changed for decades, I got my helicopter license on one in 1964 so both of us have been around for a long time. :smt040
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Hockaloogie »

Who's Troy Gentry? Buffalo used car dealer? Never heard of him. Big guy in cncpc's world?
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Schooner69A »

Cowboy singer. Quite popular in the US of A, I understand.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by cncpc »

Cat Driver wrote:The H300 is a really nice little helicopter and the basic design has not changed for decades, I got my helicopter license on one in 1964 so both of us have been around for a long time. :smt040
Yes, excellent helicopter. At one time the US Army had over 1 million flight training hours in them without a fatality. I did most of my heli training in them at Carlsbad Airport down by Oceanside, CA.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by cncpc »

Schooner69A wrote:Cowboy singer. Quite popular in the US of A, I understand.
Particularly folks with the name Hockaloogie.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by cncpc »

PilotDAR wrote:Seeing the short path of disturbed soil just before the flipped over wreck, one might infer that the helicopter hit hard, bounced and flipped over. Seeing the location of the crash relative to the runway, one could infer that the pilot was trying to "make it" to the runway. 300's autorotate nicely, but not far, and leave very little to stretch the glide with. In an auto, best plan to land just over your toes.
Yes, I agree with the hit and flip scenario. If he was in an auto, though, no need to stretch it. He could have set it down anywhere in that sand. From the blades, he either pulled the collective all the way up too soon in the auto, or the transmission seized.

He had called in some emergency.

No, they don't glide much in the auto.

Adding:

This from something called TMZ...

The helicopter crash that killed country singer Troy Gentry is now under NTSB investigation, and we're told a central question will be whether the pilot should have attempted a landing instead of hovering with mechanical problems and waiting for emergency assistance.
Helicopter pilots at and around the Flying W Airport in Medford, New Jersey tell TMZ ... the pilot had options, though none were great.

I can't imagine a type of mechanical problem where you'd stay in the air waiting for CFR.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Cat Driver »

Yes, excellent helicopter. At one time the US Army had over 1 million flight training hours in them without a fatality. I did most of my heli training in them at Carlsbad Airport down by Oceanside, CA.
I got my helicopter license in one in Detroit from a U.S. military pilot who was an awesome teacher.

When I had my helicopter flight school I bought a R22 because of the price difference.

Regretted the decision because the H300 would have been a far better choice, but I guess you get what you pay for.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by DanJ »

Hockaloogie wrote:Who's Troy Gentry? Buffalo used car dealer? Never heard of him. Big guy in cncpc's world?
He was half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry. Eddie Montgomery I would say was the lead singer of the 2 of them. They were pretty popular in country music 15 years ago, not as big the last little while. My Town was their biggest hit back in the early 2000's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj9b3QqTOtY
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Brock_Landers »

cncpc wrote:
I can't imagine a type of mechanical problem where you'd stay in the air waiting for CFR.

Maybe a tail rotor failure of some kind.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Hockaloogie »

DanJ wrote:
Hockaloogie wrote:He was half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry. Eddie Montgomery I would say was the lead singer of the 2 of them. They were pretty popular in country music 15 years ago, not as big the last little while. My Town was their biggest hit back in the early 2000's.
Thanks. Some reports suggested he was a "star".
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by cncpc »

NTSB says the issue was that the pilot was having difficulty controlling the RPM.

I would think that is only a difficulty in the air in the sense of maintaining sufficient rotor rpm.

For the more expert here, possible deteriorating condition in the transmission with full seizure when the throttle is rolled off? Or even without that?

It does seem the blades weren't rotating in the impact sequence.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by PilotDAR »

Perhaps a problem with the clutch, belts started to slip. No foolin nor waiting with that though, roll the throttle closed, and auto down!
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Heliian »

Something in the driveline could have seized, leading to a situation where the engine is coupled and difficult to control. A governor failure or engine malfunction could also cause fluctuations. They'll have a good idea if he had time to communicate.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by PilotDAR »

A governor failure or engine malfunction could also cause fluctuations.
Governor in an SW300?

An engine malfunction in an SW300 would normally result in a decoupling and stop, so autorotation. There is no flywheel effect acting on the engine, so unlike a propeller application of the engine, if it runs rough, nothing will hold spinning inertia of the helicopter engine if it falters.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by howey »

From the NTSB preliminary report:

NTSB: Pilot reported throttle trouble before copter crash that killed country star Troy Gentry

NTSB Identification: ERA17FA317
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, September 08, 2017 in Medford, NJ
Aircraft: SCHWEIZER 269C, registration: N204HF
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On September 8, 2017, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, N204HF, operated by Helicopter Flight Services, was substantially damaged during collision with terrain while performing a forced landing to Runway 01 at Flying W Airport (N14), Medford, New Jersey. The commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the chief flight instructor for the operator, the purpose of the flight was to provide an orientation/pleasure flight to the passenger who was scheduled to perform in a concert on the airport later that evening.

Several minutes after takeoff, the pilot reported over the airport UNICOM frequency that he was unable to control engine rpm with throttle inputs. He reported he could "roll" the twist-grip, but that there was no corresponding change in engine rpm when he did so.

The company flight instructor and another certificated helicopter flight instructor were monitoring the frequency and engaged the pilot in conversation about potential courses of action to affect the subsequent landing. Options discussed included a shallow approach to a run-on landing, or a power-off, autorotational descent to landing. The pilot elected to stop the engine and perform an autorotation, which was a familiar procedure he had performed numerous times in the past. Prior to entering the autorotation, the pilot was advised to initiate the maneuver over the runway.

The company flight instructor reported that the helicopter entered the autorotation about 950 ft above ground level, and that the helicopter was quiet during its descent "because the engine was off." During the descent, the rotor rpm decayed to the point where the instructor could see the individual rotor blades. The helicopter descended from view prior to reaching the runway threshold and the sounds of impact were heard. Both instructors reported that a high-pitched "whine" could be heard from the helicopter during the latter portion of the descent.

A video forwarded by local police showed the helicopter south of the runway as it entered what appeared to be a descent profile consistent with an autorotation. Toward the end of the video, the descent profile became more vertical and the rate of descent increased before the helicopter descended out of view. No sound could be heard from the helicopter.

The pilot held commercial and instructor pilot certificates, each with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued April 12, 2017.

Excerpts of the pilot's logbook revealed he had logged 480.9 total hours of flight experience. It was estimated that he had accrued over 300 total hours of flight experience in the accident helicopter make and model. The last entry logged was for 1.2 hours in the accident helicopter on the day of the accident.

The company training records indicated the pilot had received the training required by the operator for employment as a flight instructor, and his last airman competency check was completed satisfactorily on April 19, 2017 in the accident helicopter.

According to FAA records, the helicopter was manufactured in 2000 and had accrued approximately 7,900 total aircraft hours. Its most recent 100-hour inspection was completed August 17, 2017 at 7,884 total aircraft hours.

At 1254, the weather recorded at South Jersey Regional Airport (VAY), 2 miles west of N14, included clear skies and wind from 260° at 13 knots gusting to 18 knots. The temperature was 21°C, and the dew point was 9°C. The altimeter setting was 30.13 inches of mercury. Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) Sierra for instrument meteorological conditions and mountain obscurations was in effect for the area surrounding the accident site at the time of the accident.

The wreckage was examined at the accident site, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The initial ground scar was about 10 ft prior to the main wreckage, which was about 220 ft prior to the threshold of runway 01 and aligned with the runway.

The cockpit was significantly deformed by impact damage, and the tailboom was separated at the fuselage. The engine and main transmission remained mounted in the airframe, and all main rotor blades were secured in their respective grips, which remained attached to the main rotor head and mast. The pitch-change link for the yellow rotor blade was fractured, with fracture signatures consistent with overstress. Each of the three blades was bent significantly at its respective blade root. The blades showed little to no damage along their respective spans toward the blade tips, which was consistent with low rotor rpm at ground contact.

Flight control continuity was established from the individual flight controls, through breaks, to the main rotor head and tail rotor. Drivetrain continuity was also established to the main and tail rotors.

The engine was rotated by hand at the cooling fan, and continuity was confirmed from the powertrain through the valvetrain, to the accessory section. Compression was confirmed on all cylinders using the thumb method. The magnetos were removed, actuated with a drill, and spark was produced at all terminal leads. Borescope examination of each cylinder revealed signatures consistent with normal wear, with no anomalies noted.

The carburetor was separated from the engine, displayed impact damage, and was found near the initial ground scar. The throttle and mixture arms were actuated by hand and moved smoothly through their respective ranges. The filter screen was removed, and was absent of debris. The carburetor contained fuel which appeared absent of water and debris.

The collective control and jackshaft assembly as well as the associated throttle cable, push-pull tube, and bellcrank assemblies were retained for further examination at the NTSB Materials Laboratory.

https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.avia ... 3517&key=1
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by PilotDAR »

From the report, we understand that the pilot was unable to control the engine to his satisfaction. It seems he had enough engine power available to have time to communicate to diagnose, and fly toward the airport - that's great. Thereafter it would seem he entered an autorotation, also right. Either he was flying toward the runway, with the intention of autoing onto it, and the engine stopped before he got within auto range, or he chose to enter auto too early to make the runway. The site of the crash looked adequate for a decent auto landing, but he let the rotor RPM decay.

So throttle issues aside, the crash seems more a result of a poorly flown autorotation.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by Heliian »

PilotDAR wrote:
A governor failure or engine malfunction could also cause fluctuations.
Governor in an SW300?

An engine malfunction in an SW300 would normally result in a decoupling and stop, so autorotation. There is no flywheel effect acting on the engine, so unlike a propeller application of the engine, if it runs rough, nothing will hold spinning inertia of the helicopter engine if it falters.
Correlator then. The part that controls fuel flow with collective input. I don't know the accident ship, there are quite a few variants including ones with an actual governor and fuel injected.

Malfunction would include stuck throttle.
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Re: Troy Gentry dies in helicopter accident

Post by cncpc »

PilotDAR wrote:
A governor failure or engine malfunction could also cause fluctuations.
Governor in an SW300?

An engine malfunction in an SW300 would normally result in a decoupling and stop, so autorotation. There is no flywheel effect acting on the engine, so unlike a propeller application of the engine, if it runs rough, nothing will hold spinning inertia of the helicopter engine if it falters.
Yes, I've seen them and flown one with one installed. Aftermarket.
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