ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 30214
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| Date: | Sunday 26 March 2000 |
| Time: | 22:13 |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 350B Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Helinet Corporation |
| Registration: | N500WC |
| MSN: | 1509 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1984 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8382 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARIEL 1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | VNY |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While hovering out of ground effect, the helicopter had a hydraulic system failure. The pilot shutoff the hydraulic accumulator pressure 5 seconds after the warning horn sounded. According to the onboard cameraman the helicopter began to spin. The pilot stabilized the helicopter, and reported to other news helicopters filming the night time event, that she had lost hydraulic pressure and was experiencing control problems. Another pilot suggested that the pilot consider two airports within 5 miles. The pilot elected to return to the home base, about 15 miles away. The pilot reported en route to escorting helicopters that her right leg was 'killing her.' A hover landing was attempted, and a loss of control resulted in spinning out of control to the ground. Postaccident examination revealed a failed hydraulic pump drive pulley bearing and subsequent drive belt failure. According to the rotorcraft flight manual, 'The pressure stored in the accumulators allows sufficient time to reach the 'refuge' area with hydraulic servo-assistance.' According to manufacturer representatives, that time is between 30 and 45 seconds, depending on control inputs. The pilot action is to 'Calmly reduce collective pitch and adjust the airspeed to between 40 and 60 knots in level flight. Cut off the hydraulic pressure, using collective lever pushbutton.' According FAA medical data, the pilot's last reported weight was 108 pounds and a height of 61 inches. According to pilots who are experienced in this model, body size and strength are important issues in handling this type of emergency. The manufacturer representative stated that it is an emergency, and the pilot should land as soon as practical. It was also stated that the accident pilot had recently completed the factory-training course successfully.
Probable Cause: the pilot's failure to land as soon as practical and to utilize the available accumulator pressure to transition from hover to flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's physical stature and strength, and the inadequate and incomplete emergency training and flight manual information.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X20661&key=1
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=500WC
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 25-Jun-2014 23:37 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 12-Dec-2017 18:29 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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