MD Helicopters MD530F Cayuse Warrior crash near Khak-e Jabbar district, Kabul, Afghanistan

The tail section contacted a mountainside and the helicopter rolled down the slope; both pilots got clear beforehand. US Army Flightfax reported the aircraft lost tail rotor effectiveness in a low hover at high altitude. The investigation determined it would not provide sufficient tail rotor authority during an approach to the hover at the density altitude and weight at which it was operating. The flight manual carried only one chart showing less than 10 per cent control authority above 5,000 feet density altitude at heavier gross weights, and this was not adequately covered by warnings or in the limitations section. The instructor pilot's qualification training had not covered the aircraft's performance limits at high gross weight or density altitude.