Aerospatiale AS-355 N355DS
31 December 1997 · New York, New York, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 31 December 1997 at about 21:25 local time, a Aerospatiale AS-355 registered N355DS, operated by Liberty Helicopters, was involved in an accident near New York, New York, United States. 8 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. 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 21:25
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- New York, New York, United States
- Nearest airport
- West 30TH Street Heliport (JRA)
- Coordinates
- 40.7500, -73.9995
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-355
- Registration
- N355DS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Liberty Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC98LA058
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Probable cause
the pilot's misjudgment of distance and speed on final approach with a tailwind, and his failure to perform a go-around in a timely manner. A factor in the accident was the strong tailwind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter had completed a sightseeing tour and was returning to its departure point. The helicopter approached the heliport from the northwest with a tailwind and was cleared to land on the 'Transient' pad. The helicopter over flew the Transient pad and collided with the Control Room Building at the heliport. The pilot said the helicopter 'settled fast' as he applied collective pitch to arrest his descent. He said the helicopter was too close to the terminal building to attempt a go-around. The pilot added more collective pitch as he came over the landing surface but was unable to stop the helicopter prior to collision with the terminal building. He reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter. The winds reported at the time of the accident were from 290 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 25 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS-355 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1996 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F1 | Taos, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1995 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F1 | Daggett, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1994 | Aerospatiale AS-355 | Jonesville, Virginia, United States | Ranger Helicopters | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Oct 2000 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F2 | Burlington, North Carolina, United States | Corporate Jets, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Jun 1992 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F | Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States | Omniflight Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1989 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F2 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Circus Circus, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Mar 1997 | Lockheed L-1011 | Jamaica, New York, United States | - | Fatal | - |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Cessna 650 | Buffalo, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 1997 | Beechcraft F33A | Mattituck, New York, United States | Jack Lindner | No injuries | - |
| 16 May 1997 | Cessna 182P | Red Hook, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 May 1997 | McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | Flushing, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 May 1997 | Hiller UH-12E | Granby, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |