Eurocopter France AS350 B2 N91MH

Summary

On 12 July 2004 at about 22:15 local time, a Eurocopter France AS350 B2 registered N91MH was involved in an accident near Peach Springs, Arizona, United States. 7 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.

Date

12 July 2004 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Peach Springs, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Grand Canyon West (1G4)

Coordinates

35.9903, -113.8164

Aircraft

Eurocopter France AS350 B2

Registration

N91MH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Peach Springs → Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA261

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's selection of downwind takeoff direction and improper use of the collective control prior to reaching translational lift, which resulted in a settling with power condition and a collision with the ground. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain main rotor rpm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter settled to the ground hard while in the initial takeoff sequence from a helipad for a sightseeing tour flight. The pilot reported he was departing toward the southwest. During takeoff, about 20 knots of indicated airspeed, he detected the helicopter was not climbing. He noticed the main rotor rpm was decaying; he attempted to increase the rpm by lowering the collective, which was unsuccessful. As the helicopter started to yaw to the left, the pilot unsuccessfully tried to stop the left yaw by applying right pedal. The low rotor speed warning horn activated prior to the helicopter impacting the ground. Two videotapes were recovered from the helicopter's-on-board video recording system and sent to the Safety Board vehicle recorders division for readout. The video recorder group observed the helicopter takeoff in a downwind condition, as the bushes were observed blowing in the same direction as the takeoff path. The engine was installed in a test cell and operated for over 2 hours, and it was found to meet all normal parameters and engine performance specifications.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.