ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 204680
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| Date: | Thursday 1 February 2001 |
| Time: | 09:18 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B2 AStar |
| Owner/operator: | Safari Helicopters |
| Registration: | N985SA |
| MSN: | 3111 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3093 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca 1D1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lihue, Kauai, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Kauai Island/Lihue Airport, HI (LIH/PHLI) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot was performing a hydraulic accumulator test during the before takeoff check when the helicopter inadvertently lifted off. The hydraulic pressure had been bled off during the test, and the pilot could not regain control of the helicopter prior to it impacting the ground tail rotor first. The collective was locked down during the accumulator test; however, it became unlocked when the pilot was repositioning his hands to restore hydraulic power after the accumulator test. FAA inspectors indicated that the collective lock design allowed for the release of the collective when the cyclic was moved during the test with the hydraulic pressure
depleted.
Probable Cause and Findings
The manufacturer's inadequate collective lock design, which resulted in the collective unlocking during a preflight check and subsequent unintentional liftoff and loss of helicopter control. The pilot's loss of control was due in part to the unavailability of the hydraulic system.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
Air International April 2001, p207
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 26 December 2019 | N985SA | Safari Helicopters | 7 | 24 mls NW of Lihue, Kauai, HI | |
w/o |
| VFR flight in IMC | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Jan-2018 10:12 | TB | Added |
| 11-Oct-2021 18:38 | harro | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Damage, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 08-Jun-2023 22:05 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Time, Departure airport, Damage, Narrative, Accident report]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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