ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 139648
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| Date: | Thursday 3 November 2011 |
| Time: | 18:15 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter EC 130B4 |
| Owner/operator: | Sweetwater Helicopters Llc |
| Registration: | N130AL |
| MSN: | 4054 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 682 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARRIEL 2B1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Noblesville, IN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Fort Wayne, IN (1IN8) |
| Indianapolis, IN (8A4) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that before departure, he checked two internet weather services for his flight’s weather briefing. The weather forecast indicated visual meteorological conditions for the entire flight. The internet weather service used by the pilot contained a disclaimer stating the service “is not a substitute for an official flight briefing.” The weather was reportedly good until 10 miles north of the destination, where the flight encountered rain and low ceilings. The onboard radar indicated that weather had deteriorated behind the route of flight and along the proposed route of flight. Weather conditions continued to deteriorate and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing with a quartering tailwind. About 30 feet above the ground, the helicopter settled rapidly. The pilot added power to slow the descent and the helicopter made a firm landing with about 10 knots of forward speed. The right skid then dug into the soft field and the helicopter rolled onto its right side. A ground fire subsequently ensued.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter during the flight. The helicopter’s Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) stated that the primary source of preflight weather briefings is an individual briefing obtained from a briefer. Other sources include the internet-accessed Direct User Access Terminal System. The AIM advises that weather services provided by entities other than Federal Aviation Administration, National Weather Service (NWS), or their contractors may not meet quality control standards; the internet sites the pilot referenced were not supported by these entities. The AIM also indicated all "flight-related, aviation weather decisions must be based on primary weather products" that meet regulatory requirements. Prior to departure the NWS was reporting instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in the destination area and an AIRMET for IMC was current for the route of flight that extended over the accident site.
Probable Cause: The hard landing the pilot performed with a quartering tailwind, leading to the helicopter's rollover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s reliance on a weather service that did not provide a primary weather product.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Nov-2011 01:07 | gerard57 | Added |
| 04-Nov-2011 04:12 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 04-Nov-2011 09:42 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 04-Nov-2011 16:27 | RobertMB | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Mar-2013 13:51 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Oct-2014 17:30 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Mar-2021 16:41 | TB | Updated [Other fatalities, Damage] |
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