Airbus AS350 N194EH

Summary

On 5 May 2016 at about 22:05 local time, a Airbus AS350 registered N194EH, operated by ERA Helicopters LLC, was involved in an accident near Juneau, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 May 2016 at 22:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Juneau, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

58.4800, -134.2089

Aircraft

Airbus AS350

Registration

N194EH

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1992

Engines

1

Operator

ERA Helicopters LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Juneau → Juneau

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC16LA022

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while on approach to land in flat light conditions. Contributing to the severity of the pilot's injuries was the inadequately restrained internal cargo, which shifted forward during the impact and struck the pilot and/or the pilot's seat.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instrument-rated commercial pilot was making a visual flight rules internal-cargo company flight in the helicopter. He reported that flat light conditions were present as he made a visual approach for landing at a remote dog camp situated on a glacier. During the approach, the helicopter impacted terrain, coming to rest about 3/4 mile from the dog camp. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the helicopter and characterized the accident as controlled flight into terrain. It is likely that the pilot failed to maintain terrain clearance due to his inability to distinguish distances and closure rates because of the flat light optical illusion. The single cargo strap securing a plastic box containing a metal heater to the rear cabin floor remained intact during the accident sequence; however, the plastic box shifted forward due to the momentum of the helicopter impacting terrain, which allowed the metal heater to escape from the lidded box. It is likely that the metal heater struck the pilot and/or the pilot's seat in the accident sequence, contributing to the serious injuries sustained by the pilot. The single cargo strap used to secure the plastic box was installed such that it provided lateral restraint of the box but no forward restraint of the box. If the box had been restrained to prevent forward movement, it is likely that the metal heater would not have escaped from the box. Review of the helicopter's rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) revealed that it provided only a total weight limit for the rear cabin floor and did not provide any guidance about how to properly secure internal cargo in the cabin. Further, although the manufacturer indicated in a systems manual that cargo could be secured to the cabin floor using 11 mooring points embedded into the floor and provided a force limit for each mooring point, the systems manual provided no guidance regarding how the cargo should be attached to the mooring points; for example, no information was provided about the type and number of restraints to be used or how they should be configured. Airbus, the manufacturer of the helicopter, stated that it was the responsibility of the operator "to define an adapted cargo, freight, or baggage securement that is in respect to the limitations permissible force on the floor stowing mooring rings." The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that operators do not have certification approval to install cargo in the cabin unless it is mentioned in the RFM or RFM supplement and that, if an FAA-approved cargo configuration has been published for a specific aircraft, the RFM for that aircraft is where information on how and where to install cargo will be found. However, the FAA also stated that it "is not aware of any documentation that would prohibit Part 27 rotorcraft from carrying cargo in the cabin, even if a certification does not exist for that helicopter."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.