McDonnell Douglas 500N N18GH
12 August 2014 · Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 12 August 2014 at about 02:00 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 500N registered N18GH, operated by David Hansen, was involved in an accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States. 3 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.
The record
- Date
- at 02:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States
- Coordinates
- 43.4617, -112.0150
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas 500N
- Registration
- N18GH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- David Hansen
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Idaho Falls → Idaho Falls
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR14LA341
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of helicopter control for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he initiated a vertical climb in the helicopter to clear trees and a residential structure. When the helicopter was about 90 ft above ground level, it banked left and immediately began to rotate. The pilot made control inputs but was unable to regain control of the helicopter, so he initiated an autorotation. Subsequently, the helicopter impacted the ground and rolled over onto its right side. Postaccident examination of the airframe and flight control system revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident weight and balance and performance calculations revealed that, at the time of the accident, the helicopter was within weight and balance and performance limitations for an out-of-ground-effect hover.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas 500 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Apr 2014 | McDonnell Douglas 500N | Santa Monica, California, United States | V & A Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 2016 | McDonnell Douglas 500N | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | City and County of Honolulu | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Jul 2012 | McDonnell Douglas 500 | Kastire, Latvia | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Oct 2011 | McDonnell Douglas 500D | Colusa, California, United States | PJ Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 2009 | McDonnell Douglas 500N | Los Alamitos, California, United States | City of Huntington Beach | No injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 2021 | McDonnell Douglas 500 | Unteriberg, Switzerland | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jul 2014 | Cessna 182Q | Warren, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 2014 | Found Acft Canada FBA 2C1 | Cascade, Idaho, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 2014 | Meyer LEGACY | Lolo Pass, Idaho, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Jul 2014 | Air Tractor AT 802A | Hazelton, Idaho, United States | Red Baron AG Service Inc | No injuries | - |
| 29 Apr 2014 | Elemdorf 1002 | Rexburg, Idaho, United States | Don Thompson | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 2014 | Cosmos Phase Ii PHASE II 582 | Caldwell, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |