ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 239057
Last updated: 24 November 2020
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | 03-AUG-2020 |
| Time: | 19:41 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter EC 130B4 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N55GJ |
| C/n / msn: | 3745 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Tennessee River, W of Knoxville Downtown Island Airport (DKX/KDKX), TN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Knoxville, TN (TYS) |
| Knoxville, TN | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
On August 3, 2020, at 1941 eastern daylight time, a Eurocopter EC130-B4 helicopter, N55GJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Knoxville, Tennessee. One passenger was fatally injured, and the pilot and two additional passengers were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
After refueling the helicopter, the pilot and his passengers departed McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville, Tennessee, about 1826 for a flight in the local area. About 1940 the pilot made a right circling approach over the Tennessee River toward a landing site near the river's edge on his property. He reported that he, "was descending with low power and a 25° angle of descent; ever slowing to come to a hover at low speed over the water." He stated that he added power to stop the descent and was planning to hover to the landing site at a height about 75 feet above the water. He stated that when he added power, the helicopter "started to settle" and he "pulled max power to stop the settling;" however, the helicopter continued to descend into the water. A passenger stated that when the helicopter descended toward the water in a level attitude, the left "skid hit and then rotor hit" and the helicopter was "torqued into the water on the left side." The pilot and two of the passengers were able to egress the helicopter before it sank.
Examination of the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the helicopter came to rest on the bottom of the Tennessee River about 435 ft and 149° from the landing site on the pilot's property. The helicopter's fenestron was recovered floating nearby.
The helicopter was recovered from the river mostly intact. Examination of the wreckage revealed a large hole in the left side windshield; the left door window broken out; damage to all rotor blades consistent with water impact; and two of the four suspension bars fractured midspan. The tailboom remained attached to the fuselage, and the fenestron separated from the tailboom just aft of the ring frame.
The helicopter was retained for further examination.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20200803X11310&key=1
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2020/08/03/report-helicopter-crashes-into-tennessee-river-near-alcoa-highway/5578702002/
https://www.wvlt.tv/2020/08/04/helicopter-crashes-into-tennessee-river-according-to-knox-county-dispatch/
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/kfd-helicopter-crashes-into-tennessee-river-near-alcoa-highway/51-26562eb8-7beb-4b28-86bc-b5c6e61e52bc
https://www.wvlt.tv/2020/08/04/helicopter-crashes-into-tennessee-river-according-to-knox-county-dispatch/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Knoxville/comments/i3a5jj/this_is_the_house_near_the_crash_site_and/
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/knoxville-fd-person-killed-3-swim-to-safety-after-helicopter-crashes-in-tennessee-river
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/NNum_results.aspx?NNumbertxt=55GJ
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/53567-17df64d4074e3b3917534302700f7970591fabfb/aircrafttype/EC30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqhWpGC75fc
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Aug-2020 01:55 | Geno | Added |
| 04-Aug-2020 02:01 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 04-Aug-2020 06:02 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-Aug-2020 06:12 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Phase, Nature, Narrative] |
| 04-Aug-2020 06:18 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 04-Aug-2020 06:43 | HeliHub | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 04-Aug-2020 06:51 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Phase, Nature, Source] |
| 04-Aug-2020 10:14 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 04-Aug-2020 10:14 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location] |
| 04-Aug-2020 13:49 | Geno | Updated [Operator, Source] |
| 04-Aug-2020 21:31 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 26-Aug-2020 08:58 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description