Sikorsky CH-19E N94475

Summary

On 30 May 2002 at about 23:20 local time, a Sikorsky CH-19E registered N94475, operated by Name, was involved in an accident near Plains, Montana, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

30 May 2002 at 23:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Plains, Montana, United States

Coordinates

47.4769, -114.9842

Aircraft

Sikorsky CH-19E

Registration

N94475

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Name

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plains → Plains

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA02FA091

1 person had minor injuries.

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

In a written report, the commercial pilot stated that he was flying sideways downhill with an external load on a long line. He approached the log landing area in a turn and attempted to set the load down, however the helicopter, "seemed to keep going." The helicopter began to lose altitude. To compensate, the pilot lowered the collective, and increased the throttle. The aircraft did not respond to the pilot's actions. However, a subsequent maneuver to avoid colliding with a loader was successful. The pilot stated that he remembered, "putting the ship down easy." The pilot then related that the helicopter suddenly "lifted over to the left and next I was undoing my seatbelt and climbing out of the pilot window." A witness to the accident reported that she could see the helicopter steadily lose altitude from a few hundred feet in the air. She then related that she heard the engine quit, followed by the sound of impact a few seconds later. Post-accident examination of the engine, and subsequent engine run, revealed no evidence to indicate a mechanical malfunction or failure with the engine or related engine components.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.