McDonnell Douglas Heli 369 N900FF

Summary

On 16 June 2018 at about 21:00 local time, a McDonnell Douglas Heli 369 registered N900FF, operated by Northwest Helicopters LLC, was involved in an accident near Yabucoa, 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.

Date

16 June 2018 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Yabucoa, United States

Coordinates

18.0511, -65.8794

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas Heli 369

Registration

N900FF

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1994

Engines

1

Operator

Northwest Helicopters LLC

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

External Load

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palmas Del Mar → Yabucoa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA378

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain main rotor clearance from a fiber line while picking up a lineman.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the helicopter pilot, he dropped off a lineman on top of a power line tower to install fiber lines. The lineman completed the task and informed the pilot by radio that he was ready to be picked up from the tower. While picking up the lineman, the pilot hovered next to the tower and signaled to the lineman that he was ready for him to transfer from the tower to the helicopter’s left skid. When the lineman reached out to attach his lanyard to the helicopter, the pilot felt the main rotor blades strike a fiber line that the lineman had just installed. The helicopter became controllable, and the pilot conducted a precautionary landing without picking up the lineman. After the pilot discussed the event with the lineman, the lineman raised the fiber line to a higher position on the tower and then the pilot picked him up. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the main rotor blades sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented by assessing each approach and landing individually while looking for any possible new hazards or obstructions. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.    

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.