Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL N705LV
27 August 2009 · Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 27 August 2009 at about 15:45 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL registered N705LV, operated by Las Vegas Helicopters, Inc., was involved in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, 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 15:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States
- Nearest airport
- Ramada Helipad (NONE)
- Coordinates
- 35.9950, -113.7814
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL
- Registration
- N705LV
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Las Vegas Helicopters, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Grand Canyon → Peach Springs
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR09LA420
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a boulder during a low-altitude takeoff turn.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated that six fare-paying passengers exited from the helicopter upon landing at the designated helipad adjacent to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Thereafter, the pilot restarted the helicopter to pick up another load of passengers at the top of the canyon. Boulders had been situated around the perimeter of the helipad by the operator to assist in marking its location. The pilot stated that seconds after becoming airborne, and as he was maneuvering during a left clearing turn to depart the area, the helicopter's tail rotor impacted a perimeter boulder. The helicopter pitched nose down and began to violently shudder, vibrate, and oscillate right and left. The pilot immediately descended from a hover and landed with the helicopter remaining upright. The helicopter sustained damage to its tail rotor blades, a hole in the tail boom, drive shaft damage, and associated damage to the 90-degree gearbox.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS350 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2009 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Cusco, Peru | Coyotair S.A.C. | Fatal | 3 |
| 29 Oct 2009 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Loreto, Peru | Helinka | Fatal | 2 |
| 13 Apr 2009 | Aerospatiale AS350 B2 E | Haines, Alaska, United States | Coastal Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2010 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States | ERA Helicopters LLC | No injuries | - |
| 6 Feb 2010 | Aerospatiale AS350 | El Paso, Texas, United States | Enchantment Aviation Inc | Fatal | 3 |
| 27 May 2011 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Big Trout Lake, Ontario, Canada | Expedition Helicopters | Unknown | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 2009 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | New Mexico Flying Eagle Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 22 Apr 2009 | Cessna 172E | Tucson, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2009 | De Havilland DHC-8 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Mesa Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 2009 | Piper PA-24-250 | Black Canyon City, Arizona, United States | Ralph Smith | Fatal | 2 |
| 11 Dec 2009 | Cessna 182P | Payson, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Mar 2009 | Cosmos PHASE 2 | Salome, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |