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| Date: | Thursday 18 August 2016 |
| Time: | c. 22:00 LT |
| Type: |  Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk |
| Owner/operator: | US Air Force (USAF) |
| Registration: | 91-26407 |
| MSN: | 70.1742 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Nevada Test and Training Range, NV -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Las Vegas-Nellis AFB, NV (LSV/KLSV) |
| Las Vegas-Nellis AFB, NV (LSV/KLSV) | |
| Investigating agency: | USAF AIB |
On 18 August 2016, at approximately 2130 hours local time (L), an HH-600 aircraft, TIN 91-026407, crashed on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) near Nellis AFB, NV during an exercise and training sortie. The mishap aircraft (MA) was the trail element of a 2-ship formation.
The MA crew incurred non-life threatening injuries, with the most severe to the mishap aerial gunner (MAG) (bone fractures, internal organ injuries/lacerations). There were no injuries to civilians on the ground. The mishap occurred on undeveloped land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and resulted in minimal property damage. The MA was destroyed at a loss of $21,388,176.
The formation approached the mishap location in "line abreast" geometry with the MA flying at or near the lead aircraft's (LA) three o'clock position. The aircraft were at an altitude of approximately 120 feet with lateral separation of .4 nautical miles (NM). To avoid rising terrain on the left side of the formation, LA began a shallow right turn which increased closure between the two aircraft. At an approximate lateral separation of .1 NM (500-600 ft), both aircrews recognized the closure and broke away from each other to avoid a mid-air collision.
The MA entered a right angle of bank just over 70°, exceeding the maximum sustainable angle of bank for the given environmental conditions, which caused an inadvertent rapid descent. This rapid descent, combined with the low altitude at which the break was initiated, produced an unrecoverable condition and resulted in MA impacting the ground. Initial impact was with the right stabilator followed by the right main gear and right side belly. The MA rolled sharply left, rolling over completely at least once before eventually coming to rest on the left side of the fuselage. Upon impact, the MAC was partially ejected and pinned beneath the MA. He was extricated by LA crewmembers and the MA crew was flown directly to a local hospital.
The Accident Investigation Board (AIB) President found by a preponderance of evidence that the cause of the mishap was a combination of two events: (a) the lead aircraft (LA) and mishap aircraft (MA) crews failed to recognize closure preceding the mishap, and (b) the Mishap Copilot (MCP) over controlled the MA upon recognition of closure. In addition, the AIB President found by a preponderance of evidence that three factors substantially contributed to the mishap: (a) MA crew's poor decision to use the "line abreast" formation geometry through an area of restrictive terrain, (b) the inherent adverse effects of night vision goggles (NVG) on peripheral vision and depth perception needed for spatial orientation, and (c) LA and MA crews failure to conduct "leg briefs" recommended in Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/military/air-force-helicopter-crashes-nevada-training-range-4-injured
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/air-force-hurt-chopper-crashes-nevada-training-41507901
https://www.scramble.nl/database/military/usaf#results
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Aug-2016 12:52 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 19-Aug-2016 12:57 | Aerossurance | Updated [Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Damage, ] |
| 19-Aug-2016 13:00 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 19-Aug-2016 20:05 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Sep-2025 11:11 | ASN | Updated [Registration, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 29-Oct-2025 06:52 | nhofmann54 | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Source, ] |
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