Aerospatiale AS 355F N57901
7 December 1983 · Black Mountain, Nevada, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 7 December 1983 at about 20:29 local time, a Aerospatiale AS 355F registered N57901, operated by Craig Huntington, was involved in an accident near Black Mountain, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 20:29
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Black Mountain, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.1598, -115.4304
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS 355F
- Registration
- N57901
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Craig Huntington
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Las Vegas → Needles
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX84FA095
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE HELICOPTER TOOKOFF ON AN AIR AMBULANCE FLT AT ABOUT 1219 PST. ACCORDING TO TOWER PERSONNEL, THE DEPARTURE APPEARED NORMAL. RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED AT 1227 & THERE WAS NO FURTHER RADIO CONTACT WITH THE HELICOPTER. LATER, THE HELICOPTER WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASH LANDED ON STEEP MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, ROLLED OVER & BURNED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED AN OPEN LOGBOOK ENTRY THAT THE #1 TORQUE TRANSMITTER WAS INOP. A PERSON NEAR THE DEPARTURE POINT NOTICED THE L ENG COWLING WAS LOOSE. A SHORT TIME LATER, A 3' X 4' PIECE OF ENG COWLING WAS OBSERVED TO FALL FROM THE HELICOPTER. THERE WAS NO INDICATION IN THE AIRCREW'S RADIO TRANSMISSIONS THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE COWLING PROBLEM. AN EXAM REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE COWLING STANDOUT TUBE FOR THE L ENG HAD RUBBED AGAINST THE FREE WHEELING TURBINE GOVERNOR CABLE. AEROSPATIALE PSNL SAID THIS COULD DECREASE FUEL FLOW TO THE L ENG; AT HI POWER, THE R ENG GOVERNOR WOULD THEN INCREASE ITS FUEL FLOW & EXCEED LIMITS UNLESS PLT COMPENSATED. R FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE WAS FOUND NEAR ITS CLOSED POSITION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS-355F accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan 1984 | Aerospatiale AS-355F | Morgan City, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Apr 1984 | Aerospatiale AS 355F | W Cameron 540 | Petroleum Helicopters Inc | Fatal | 4 |
| 20 Jul 1984 | Aerospatiale AS-355F | El Paso, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 1982 | Aerospatiale AS-355F | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | Collins General Avaition Avion | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Feb 1985 | Aerospatiale AS 355F-1 | Sabine Pass, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1985 | Aerospatiale AS-355F | Chamblee, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1983 | Mooney M20F | Indian Springs, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Nov 1983 | Cessna 172N | Elko, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Dec 1983 | Cessna 182E | Humbolt, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 6 Feb 1983 | Cessna 177RG | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 14 Aug 1983 | Piper PA-22-108 | Nr Jackpot, Nevada, United States | Kent Powers | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 May 1983 | North American Rockwell S2R800 | Fallon, Nevada, United States | Jerald Frey & Frey Spray | No injuries | - |