ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 169446
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| Date: | Friday 7 October 2011 |
| Time: | 14:30 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Era Helicopters |
| Registration: | N183EH |
| MSN: | 2752 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca SD2 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | South Pass 93A offshore platform, Gulf of Mexico -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | South Pass 93A, GM |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During an engine start on a helipad, the helicopter's main rotor blade contacted the tailboom, which resulted in substantial damage to the tailboom. The reported wind about the time of the accident was about 23 knots. The pilot reported that when the wind was from the east, as it was at the time of the accident, wind contact with a generator room west of the helipad resulted in occasional updrafts on the helipad. An examination of the helicopter did not reveal any preexisting anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. In the helicopter's flight manual checklist for the "Checks Before Starting the Engine," the helicopter's cyclic is to be in the neutral position and the cyclic stick friction lock adjusted. Note 1 of the checklist states, "In strong wind, apply a little forward cyclic and accelerate the engine, up to approx. 320 rpm, as fast as in compatible with t4 limitations, then follow normal procedure." A review of accidents involving the same make and model helicopters, revealed that in all of the recorded tail boom strikes by main rotor blades during start, two conditions needed to be present: cyclic not centered and air turbulence pushing strongly on the main rotor blades.
Probable Cause: Improper centering of the cyclic during a start in gusty wind conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Sep-2014 08:56 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2020 17:23 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Other fatalities] |
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