Aerospatiale AS355 N708AC

Summary

On 11 July 2020 at about 13:32 local time, a Aerospatiale AS355 registered N708AC, operated by Aircam National Helicopter Services Inc, was involved in an accident near Rifle, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 July 2020 at 13:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Rifle, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.5242, -107.7272

Aircraft

Aerospatiale AS355

Registration

N708AC

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1982

Engines

2

Operator

Aircam National Helicopter Services Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rifle → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA273

2 people were seriously injured.

A loss of tail rotor effectiveness, the pilot’s subsequent loss of helicopter control, and collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the helicopter was maneuvering at a low altitude to conduct his first aerial observation flight of the day. The passenger, who was a camera operator for the flight, reported that the pilot began a hover over the electrical substation while they discussed a plan for the flight. While in a low altitude hover, the helicopter began swaying left and right, then spinning in a counterclockwise (left) direction. Shortly thereafter, the helicopter impacted the terrain. The pilot had no recollection of the accident. Witness observations indicated that the helicopter’s final impact was immediately followed by a postcrash fire that destroyed the helicopter. Postaccident examination of the helicopter and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The helicopter was operating at a gross weight of 5,040 lbs, and the maximum allowable gross weight is 5,291 lbs. The calculated density altitude was 6,566 ft mean sea level. The accident helicopter’s flight characteristics at the time of the accident would have included slow airspeed, a high-power setting, that were all conducive to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE), thus it is likely that the loss of control was the direct result of LTE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.