Aerospatiale AS350 N818MC
27 March 2019 · Montgomery, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 27 March 2019 at about 19:10 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350 registered N818MC, operated by Mountain Air Helicopters Inc, was involved in an accident near Montgomery, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously 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 19:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Montgomery, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.5103, -95.7708
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350
- Registration
- N818MC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2009
- Operator
- Mountain Air Helicopters Inc
- Operating rule
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN19FA109
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Maintenance personnel's failure to properly re-install and secure a fuel line, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While conducting controlled fire operations, the helicopter was maneuvering over trees, when the engine lost power. The pilot performed an autorotation and the helicopter impacted trees and then terrain, and came to rest on its side. The fuselage and empennage sustained substantial damage. One crewmember was fatally injured. Examination revealed that a fuel line between the engine firewall and hydro-mechanical unit (HMU) was loose and not secured with safety wire as required. About 25 flight hours before the accident, that fuel line was disconnected to defuel of the helicopter in order to perform a weight and balance check. No other maintenance was performed in that area. The mechanic who returned the helicopter to service stated that he was confident that he torqued and secured the line. No other anomalies were detected with the helicopter which would have precluded normal flight. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a loss of engine power due to the loose fuel line.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS350 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States | Air Evac Ems Inc | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | Coastal Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 12 Dec 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Wucher Helicopter | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Sula, Montana, United States | Mission Mountain Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Coldfoot, Alaska, United States | Trans North Turbo Air Limited | No injuries | - |
| 18 Feb 2020 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Tampa, Florida, United States | Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2019 | Robinson R22 | Danbury, Texas, United States | Standard Aviation Svcs | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Cessna A185 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Aug 2019 | Jonker Sailplanes JS1C | Cotulla, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Van's VANS RV-10 | Lancaster, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2019 | Textron B-300 | Addison, Texas, United States | S&H Aircraft | Fatal | 10 |
| 16 Nov 2019 | Cessna 152 | Sherman/Dennison, Texas, United States | US Aviation Group Llc | No injuries | - |