ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 169447
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| Date: | Monday 26 September 2011 |
| Time: | 12:30 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350BA Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Coastal Helicopters Inc. |
| Registration: | N230CH |
| MSN: | 2734 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 15904 hours |
| Engine model: | Honeywell LTS101-600A3A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Davies Creek Drainage, Juneau, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Juneau, AK (PAJN) |
| Juneau, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter pilot was landing at a remote off-airport site, located on an outcrop on the side of a steep slope. The pilot reported that after landing, he initiated the shutdown checklist, including a 2-minute cool down. About 1.5 minutes later, the pilot noticed a strong upslope wind, and the helicopter turned to the right. The pilot attempted to offset the turn with left pedal, but at low rpm, the pedal had no effect. The helicopter lifted off the ground about 3 to 5 feet in a slightly nose-high attitude and simultaneously rolled to the left. The pilot attempted to offset the roll with right cyclic input with no effect. The helicopter continued to lift and roll to the left until the main rotor blades impacted the ground. The helicopter came to rest on its left side.
The National Weather Service forecast included surface wind of 35 to 45 knots. Upslope wind conditions developed due to the terrain features and created a situation that the pilot was unable to overcome when the helicopter was at ground idle. Although the pilot checked current and forecast weather before departure, he was unaware that the forecast wind would have such an effect because of a lack of manufacturer data regarding the effect of upslope wind on an idle helicopter.
Probable Cause: Upslope wind conditions while the helicopter was operating at ground idle, which resulted in the helicopter rollover. Contributing to the accident was the lack of manufacturer data regarding the effect of upslope wind conditions on helicopter ground idle operations.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Sep-2014 09:09 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 30-Sep-2016 16:22 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:12 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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