HT-28
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t. Ted Lemerande held a morning brief with his students, Ens. Daniel Moran and 1stLt. Thomas Hutson, USMC, for a day VFR, basic-instrumenttraining flight. The weather was perfect for flying: a little chilly, unlimited ceilings and visibility, with high power margins because of the very low density altitude. The crew had prepositioned the TH-57C at Pensacola Regional Airport to facilitate their Saturday flight. After the brief, preflight, and startup, the crew was cleared for takeoff from taxiway bravo, parallel to the active runway. They were to remain 500 feet or below and stay north of runway 8/26 for landing and departing traffic. The transition to forward flight was smooth, but upon reaching 500 feet AGL, the aircrew heard a loud noise from the engine. A strong shudder went throughout the airframe. They felt a mild left yaw, which is indicative of a complete engine failure. Lt. Lemerande’s quick reflex action to keep the aircraft in balanced flight made the yaw movement barely noticeable. Lt. Lemerande initiated NATOPS procedures for an engine failure. He entered an autorotation, while immediately banking hard right toward the runway. He intended to make a 90-degree turn and complete the autorotation to the runway or tarmac of the Pensacola Navy Flying Club. During the turn, 1stLt. Huston removed his instrument training hood to back up the instructor pilot by scanning the gauges for aggravating indications. Ens. Moran, in the back seat, called the turn clear to the right. During the turn, Lt. Lemerande saw a passenger jet on takeoff from runway 08. He immediately wrapped up the
July-August 2008
From left to right, Ens. Daniel Moran, 1stLt. Thomas Hutson, USMC, and Lt. Ted Lemerande. Photo by Lt. Nicholas Malokofsky.
turn even tighter to continue for 180 degrees and instead headed for the parallel taxiway. He chose to land with a tailwind, rather than precipitate a midair collision. Lt. Lemerande fought to keep the aircraft skids pointed in the direction of the slide to keep from rolling over on landing. He smoothly brought the aircraft to a stop and remained on the paved surface of the taxiway. The crew evacuated the aircraft and met, as briefed, at a safe distance at the 12 o’clock position from the aircraft nose and waited for the crash trucks to arrive. The crew had faced a disastrous set of circumstances: an engine failure at
500 feet in a single-engine helicopter with a full bag of gas, and the nearest available landing site 180 degrees to the rear. Outstanding piloting skills, CRM, and situational awareness resulted in a nearly flawless autorotation and uneventful landing.
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