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| Date: | Monday 3 September 2018 |
| Time: | 15:00 LT |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas MD 500E (369E) |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1601Y |
| MSN: | 0216E |
| Year of manufacture: | 1987 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2942 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Orchard Lake, MI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Private property, Orchard Lake, MI |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter crashed during hover taxi after the pilot was startled by birds. The pilot was trapped in the cockpit and received serious injuries and was transported to hospital. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control and terrain clearance while in a hover after performing an evasive maneuver to avoid wildlife.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.wxyz.com/news/private-helicopter-crashes-in-orchard-lake-pilot-suffers-minor-injures
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/pilot-rescued-after-crashing-small-helicopter-on-property-in-orchard-lake
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=1601Y%20
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000894078.html
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/geese-surprise-md369-pilot
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 19 March 1987 | N1601Y | Private | 0 | Phoenix, AZ | |
sub |
Location
Media:
USA, ORCHARD LAKE, Mich. (WXYZ) - Police are investigating a private Hughes helicopter crash in Orchard Lake that injured a pilot. https://t.co/Mdo3aYokWi pic.twitter.com/28hPd1MT4L
— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) 3 septembre 2018
This MD500E helicopter crashed moments after entering into a hover when the pilot was surprised by geese. https://t.co/kEBuVlUJFV#helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/Kz744Vx4YF
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) August 16, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Sep-2018 21:48 | Iceman 29 | Added |
| 03-Sep-2018 22:16 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 04-Sep-2018 08:10 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 25-Jul-2020 17:25 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Aug-2020 12:53 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, ] |
| 16-Aug-2020 12:56 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 04-Dec-2023 14:48 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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