ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 194591
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| Date: | Wednesday 5 April 2017 |
| Time: | c. 13:00 LT |
| Type: |  Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion |
| Owner/operator: | 3rd MAW USMC |
| Registration: | YK-59/164358 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Barry M. Goldwater Range, Yuma, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Yuma MCAS/Yuma International Airport, AZ (YUM/KNYL) |
| Yuma MCAS/Yuma International Airport, AZ (YUM/KNYL) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The helicopter experienced a hard landing during a Weapons and Tactics Instructor training exercise. The five crew members survived the crash.
The mishap took place as the Super Stallion attempted a hard right turn at just 50 feet off the ground.
"[The pilot] was at the controls and rolled into a 73-degree angle of bank right-hand turn and simultaneously lowered the collective by four to six inches and added right pedal," the investigation states. The aircraft initially climbed to 125 feet and then began to descend, unable to gain enough power to overcome the steep angle. The helicopter hit the ground, bounced, and then hit again, according to the investigation. When it finally came to rest, it was nearly upside-down.
"The investigation ... reveals a breakdown in mission planning that is underpinned by inadequate risk management, inattention to detail, lack of understanding of aircraft systems and aerodynamics, and violation of [Angle of Bank] limitations and [Training and Readiness] program manual hard deck altitude for defensive maneuvering," the commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 16, Col. Craig LeFlore, wrote in an endorsement of the investigation.
"These culminating factors set dangerous conditions wherein the pilots put the aircraft into a high AOB turn in a reduced energy state close to the ground, ultimately resulting in power required exceeding power available and an unrecoverable rate of descent," he continued.
Sources:
www.marinecorpstime.com
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/04/06/five-marines-walk-away-ch53-hard-landing-yuma.html
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/09/04/pilot-error-caused-super-stallion-rollover-investigation-shows.html
https://fightersweep.com/8633/pilot-error-determined-cause-ch-53e-super-stallion-hard-landing-yuma-az/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Apr-2017 17:38 | gerard57 | Added |
| 06-Apr-2017 18:22 | Geno | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Apr-2017 09:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location] |
| 05-Sep-2017 18:47 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 13-Oct-2017 08:04 | sinfu2a | Updated [Registration, Source] |
| 22-Jul-2018 16:26 | Anon. | Updated [Phase] |
| 28-Dec-2019 17:49 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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