ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 30296
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Date: | Tuesday 28 December 1999 |
Time: | 10:50 |
Type: | Aérospatiale AS 350D Ecureuil |
Owner/operator: | Island Express Helicopters, Inc. |
Registration: | N3593S |
MSN: | 1063 |
Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
Total airframe hrs: | 14085 hours |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Santa Catalina Island, CA -
United States of America
|
Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
Departure airport: | Avalon, CA |
Destination airport: | Avalon, CA |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:The helicopter collided with terrain following a loss of engine power while maneuvering at low level on a Part 91 sightseeing flight. As the helicopter passed about 250 feet above ground level (agl) over a ridgeline, the pilot began a descending and decelerating right turn to observe a herd of buffalo. About midway down the ridge, the low rotor rpm warning horn sounded. The pilot lowered collective and the horn stayed on. He noted the rotor speed was down between 300 and 320 rpm and concluded that he would have to make an immediate landing. The helicopter landed downslope at an estimated 10 to 15 mph, and the tail rotor struck the ground first. The helicopter pitched forward, continued to slide down the hill, collided with trees, and rolled onto its right side.
The passengers in the dual seat to the left of the pilot were now dangling above him. Everyone except a young male passenger in the back right rear seat was able to exit the helicopter. The young man's leg was pinned under the wreckage. It took approximately 30 minutes to facilitate his exit from the wreckage.
When the helicopter did not return at the scheduled time, the operator notified local authorities and a search was initiated. The accident site was located about 1 hour 20 minutes after the accident.
An 80-psi check of the pneumatic system revealed two calibrated leaks and an additional leak. The attachment fitting for the P3 air accumulator on the governor pressure (Pg) line was 3/4 of a turn loose. The engine was removed and shipped to the manufacturer for testing. Several discrepancies due to damaged hardware were corrected during preparation for the test run. The engine was placed in a test stand and started normally. The engine completed a test protocol with no discrepancies noted. The P3 accumulator fitting was loosened and the engine immediately went to flight idle. The engine would not accelerate above idle power with the P3 accumulator fitting loose. Once the fitting was loosened less than finger tight, it continued to loosen to 3/4 to a full turn loose.
Probable Cause: A loose pneumatic fitting caused the engine to go to flight idle power at a low altitude, which resulted in a forced landing in hilly terrain.
Sources:
NTSB:
https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X20258&key=1 FAA register: 2.
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=3593S Location
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
27-Sep-2008 01:00 |
ASN archive |
Added |
07-Jun-2014 22:33 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
07-Jun-2014 22:34 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Narrative] |
14-Dec-2017 10:00 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated [Time, Operator, Total occupants, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
13-Feb-2021 17:33 |
Aerossurance |
Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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