Aerospatiale AS350B N69PJ
27 June 2014 · Mayhill, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 27 June 2014 at about 23:20 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350B registered N69PJ, operated by PAY JAY Air Inc, was involved in an accident near Mayhill, New Mexico, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. 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 23:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mayhill, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.8886, -105.4792
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350B
- Registration
- N69PJ
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1991
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- PAY JAY Air Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Artesia → Mayhill
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN14LA326
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control while performing a go-around in strong, gusting wind conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to initiate the flight in strong, gusting wind conditions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal flight. Weather reports indicated that strong, gusting wind conditions existed around the time that the pilot initiated the flight; the pilot was aware of the conditions. About 1/2 hour later, upon reaching the destination, the pilot initiated a go-around due to the strong, gusting wind; the wind direction varied from a headwind to a 90-degree crosswind. After reaching an altitude of 300 to 500 ft above ground level and an airspeed of 50 to 55 knots, the pilot initiated a turn, at which time the helicopter encountered either a strong gust or "ground twister," which resulted in the helicopter nosing down 15 to 20 degrees. The pilot leveled the helicopter's nose but was unable to stop the helicopter from descending. The helicopter impacted terrain, bounced 10 to 15 ft, and then impacted terrain again.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS350B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Dec 2014 | Aerospatiale AS350B | Bertioga, Brazil | Helimarte Taxi Aereo | Fatal | 5 |
| 30 Jun 2012 | Aerospatiale AS350B | Camp Verde, Arizona, United States | Chopper II LLC | Fatal | 4 |
| 21 Nov 2005 | Aerospatiale AS350B | Homestead, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Oct 2005 | Aerospatiale AS350B | Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Nov 2002 | Aerospatiale AS350B | Kingman, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 2000 | Aerospatiale AS350B | Van Nuys, California, United States | Helinet Corporation | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep 2014 | Piper PA 28-140 | Belen, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2014 | Mooney M20K | Clines Corners, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jul 2014 | Cameron Balloons Us A-180 | Questa, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 2014 | McCrary Bobby C Jr RV 4 | Los Lunas, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 2014 | Ross H/Herriott M VANS AIRCRAFT RV 3 | Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States | Tyler Francis | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Feb 2014 | Bellanca 17 30A | Santa Rosa, New Mexico, United States | Michael T Fishburn | No injuries | - |