A Physics-Based Investigation of Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness

Abstract

Loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE) has been recognized to be a major contributing factor in several helicopter accidents due to the loss of directional control. Flight tests have identified specific wind azimuth regions that may alter the angle and the speed of the airflow through the tail rotor leading to LTE. However, it has been noticed that different definitions of this phenomenon exist in the aviation community. The somewhat imprecise representation of LTE in some flight training simulators has led to its low awareness, placing pilots at a much higher risk for potential accidents. In order to improve the understanding of this phenomenon, a physics-based investigation of the different LTE flight characteristics is performed. The results from this investigation are expected to contribute towards an improvement in simulator training of LTE events, leading to a reduction in LTE related accidents.