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| Date: | Wednesday 27 March 2019 |
| Time: | 14:10 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Mountain Air Helicopters Inc |
| Registration: | N818MC |
| MSN: | 4755 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2009 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5027 hours |
| Engine model: | Safran Arriel 2B1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Montgomery, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Montgomery, TX |
| Montgomery, TX | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While conducting controlled fire operations, the helicopter was maneuvering over trees, when the engine lost power. The pilot performed an autorotation and the helicopter impacted trees and then terrain, and came to rest on its side. The fuselage and empennage sustained substantial damage. One crewmember was fatally injured.
Examination revealed that a fuel line between the engine firewall and hydro-mechanical unit (HMU) was loose and not secured with safety wire as required. About 25 flight hours before the accident, that fuel line was disconnected to defuel of the helicopter in order to perform a weight and balance check. No other maintenance was performed in that area. The mechanic who returned the helicopter to service stated that he was confident that he torqued and secured the line. No other anomalies were detected with the helicopter which would have precluded normal flight.
The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a loss of engine power due to the loose fuel line.
Probable Cause: Maintenance personnel's failure to properly re-install and secure a fuel line, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN19FA109
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=99185
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=818MC
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
Update on Helicopter Crash: A 2009 Eurocopter AS 350 crashed in the Sam Houston National Forest during a controlled burn operation. 1 deceased on scene, 2 transported to Conroe ER in stable condition. FAA is in route to the scene. pic.twitter.com/p9T4mqtkqd
— TxDPS - Southeast Texas Region (@TxDPSSoutheast) March 27, 2019
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Mar-2019 00:14 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 28-Mar-2019 00:15 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 00:16 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 00:20 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 01:05 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 02:19 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 07:07 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 09:21 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 12:22 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, ] |
| 28-Mar-2019 15:32 | A.J.Scholten | Updated [Source, ] |
| 29-Mar-2019 18:16 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 02-Jul-2022 09:32 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 24-Dec-2024 20:32 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Photo, ] |
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