McDonnell Douglas 369E N142MK

Summary

On 2 October 2006 at about 19:30 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 369E registered N142MK was involved in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii, United States. 5 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.

Date

2 October 2006 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Hilo International Airport (ITO)

Coordinates

19.7203, -155.0483

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 369E

Registration

N142MK

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hilo → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07LA002

2 people had minor injuries.

Inadvertent application of the lateral cyclic friction, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The lateral cyclic friction was on prior to departure, and the helicopter landed hard shortly after takeoff. After the pilot's first flight, the helicopter underwent a hot refueling and the passengers were loaded onboard for the pilot's second flight. The pilot performed her pretakeoff checklist items, which included releasing the control frictions and performing a freedom of control check. The pilot then demonstrated to the front seat passengers where to position their feet by bringing her right foot aft. She then obtained tower clearance and began the takeoff. During the takeoff, the cyclic was locked and she could not move it. She attempted to control the helicopter using trim but shortly thereafter, the helicopter impacted the ground. Upon impact, the pilot reached down and released the lateral cyclic friction. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the lateral cyclic friction system installation and operation and noted no mechanical anomalies. The FAA inspector did note that if he brought one foot farther aft than is done in normal operation, an inadvertent application of the lateral cyclic friction might result.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.