Aerospatiale SA319B N319LF
21 August 2003 · Whittier, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 21 August 2003 at about 20:30 local time, a Aerospatiale SA319B registered N319LF, operated by Last Frontier Air Ventures Ltd, was involved in an accident near Whittier, Alaska, United States. One person was 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 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Whittier, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 60.6667, -147.4167
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA319B
- Registration
- N319LF
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Last Frontier Air Ventures Ltd
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Palmer → Whittier
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC03LA098
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's encounter with ground resonance during landing, which resulted in an aborted landing and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial certificated pilot reported he was attempting to land a wheel/ski equipped helicopter on a metal landing grid. He said the helicopter began to vibrate in ground resonance as soon as the landing gear touched the grid, and he immediately lifted the helicopter into a low hover. The vibrations increased, and he attempted to move the helicopter away from the landing grid. He indicated he was unable to control the helicopter due to the main rotor system's severe vibrations. The helicopter's main rotor blades subsequently struck a tower about 30 feet from the grid, resulting in the helicopter striking the ground and rolling inverted. The pilot said there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the helicopter. The helicopter sustained structural damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and all rotor blades.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale SA319B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Apr 2002 | Aerospatiale SA319B ALOUETTE III | Altoona, Florida, United States | U.S. Forest Service | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2006 | Aerospatiale SA319B | Port Alsworth, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jan 1986 | Aerospatiale SA319B | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | Rocky Mountain Helicopters | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 2003 | Rockwell 500-S | Chickaloon, Alaska, United States | State of Alaska Division of Forestry | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2003 | Williamson GLASTAR | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 2003 | Cessna 206 | English Bay, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Aug 2003 | Cloud-Wag Aero SPORTSMEN | Noatak, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2003 | Cessna 401 | Gustavus, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 12 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-18 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |