Aerospatiale AS350D N317LT
7 April 1997 · Los Angeles, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 April 1997 at about 19:09 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350D registered N317LT, operated by Benbow Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:09
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Transamerica Bldg Helipad (63L)
- Coordinates
- 34.0296, -118.2606
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350D
- Registration
- N317LT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Benbow Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Uc San Diego → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97FA149
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to ensure that the collective lock was properly seated before deplaning.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot exited the helicopter to escort a deplaning passenger. The student pilot rated passenger was left sitting in the helicopter with instructions not to touch the controls. While the pilot was standing nearby, the helicopter began bouncing up and down in a resonant mode. The pilot ran back to the helicopter and pulled the fuel flow control lever into the cut-off position. The helicopter yawed to the right and settled back on the deck. Investigation revealed the full down position of the collective was spring loaded to keep tension against the control lock. An inspection of the helicopter revealed that the collective was not down and locked, nor were the frictions tightly applied. The manufacturer reported instances in which the collective lock was not seated properly, and consequently, the collective became released while the engine was running. If the lock slips off collective, the spring's tension could force the control to move upward. No malfunction or failure was found with the engine or rotor systems.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS350D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jul 1994 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Hanalei, Hawaii, United States | Papillon Hawaiian Helicopters | Fatal | 3 |
| 7 Dec 1991 | Aerospatiale AS350D ASTAR | Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, United States | Equipment Leasors of PA, Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 13 Aug 2003 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Webb, Idaho, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 1989 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Long Beach, California, United States | Island Express Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 May 1989 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Waialae Falls, Hawaii, United States | Papillion Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1989 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Carson City, Nevada, United States | Aris Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Airbus A300 B4-203 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Pan American World Airways, In | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Cessna 152 | Julian, California, United States | Plus One Flyers, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Schweizer 2-32 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7ECA | Tracy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 | Castaic, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |