Eurocopter AS350-B3 N352SA
29 September 2002 · Bishop, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 29 September 2002 at about 15:54 local time, a Eurocopter AS350-B3 registered N352SA, operated by US Dept of Agriculture, US Forest Service, was involved in an accident near Bishop, California, United States. 4 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 15:54
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bishop, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bishop (BIH)
- Coordinates
- 37.3728, -118.3636
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS350-B3
- Registration
- N352SA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- US Dept of Agriculture, US Forest Service
- Operating rule
- Public Use
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bishop → Bridgeport
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX02TA299
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
the disengagement of the collective locking mechanism due to component wear.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter was performing a hydraulic actuator check for the first flight of the day. The collective had been placed in the down position, the collective lock was engaged, and the rotor powered up to 100 percent flight idle. After depressing the hydraulic test switch, the pilot moved the cyclic fore and aft to confirm there was pressure remaining in the accumulators for a few control movements. The collective rose uncommanded and the helicopter moved forward in a nose down attitude. The main rotor struck the ground and the helicopter made two revolutions before rolling over onto its side, destroying both the main and tail rotor systems. A small fire ensued in the exhaust area, but was quickly extinguished. Examination of the collective locking mechanism (P/N 350A-27 3455-20 and P/N 350A-27 3107-26) found that it failed to hold the collective in the full down position due to wear on the locking tab. During servo accumulator checks, movement of the cyclic control after accumulator depletion caused the collective to move due to feedback in the control system. The locking device disengaged and the collective increased causing the aircraft to move.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Eurocopter AS350 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 2001 | Eurocopter AS350 B-2 | Cody, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2001 | Eurocopter AS350-B2 | Meadview, Arizona, United States | Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters | Fatal | 6 |
| 4 Nov 2003 | Eurocopter AS350 B3 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Native American Air Ambulance Inc | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 2004 | Eurocopter AS350 B3 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Petroleum Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2004 | Eurocopter AS350 B2 | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2007 | Eurocopter AS350-B2 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Ayres S2R-T34 | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2002 | Beechcraft A36TC | San Andreas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 May 2002 | Sierra RAF 2000 GTX-SE | Lompoc, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Trenti RV-4 | Jacumba, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Thunder and Colt COLT 120 A | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-42-2 JANTAR | Hemet, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |