McDonnell Douglas 500N N5232G

Summary

On 2 September 2016 at about 19:45 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 500N registered N5232G, operated by City and County of Honolulu, was involved in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 September 2016 at 19:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

21.2561, -157.8069

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 500N

Registration

N5232G

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1994

Engines

1

Operator

City and County of Honolulu

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Honolulu → Honolulu

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR16LA175

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the helicopter rescue net’s contact with a utility pole and serious injury to an occupant who fell from the rescue net. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s and rescue personnel’s decision to continue the extraction in proximity to the pole.       

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot reported that, during a rescue operation to extract a hiker in distress, he flew to a hiking trail lookout where fire department personnel were already present. He observed a utility pole on the east side of the lookout and estimated the wind was about 10-20 kts from the east. The pilot landed the helicopter in a nearby landing zone and prepared the helicopter for a rescue net extraction. The pilot then took off and lowered the rescue net from the 75-100-ft-long line to the injured hiker and firefighter. After they both climbed into the net, the helicopter started to ascend; a strong gust of wind unexpectedly caused the helicopter to ascend too quickly and move laterally toward the utility pole. The pilot attempted to stop the swing of the long line, but the net impacted the utility pole. The firefighter was electrocuted and fell from the net about 20 ft to the ground, which resulted in serious injury. At the time of the accident, the Hawaiian Islands were under the influence of tropical easterly winds, and a hurricane watch had been issued. The surface observations indicated northeast winds of 14-20 kts with peak gusts of 28 kts during the time surrounding the accident. It is likely that the northeast winds produced unfavorable wind conditions over the terrain at the lookout. The operator's "Technical Rescue Standard Operating Guidelines" states, in part, that "[t]eam members and the pilot shall agree that the area they are being inserted into is safe and free of obstructions…"

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.