ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 42581
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| Date: | Tuesday 3 February 1998 |
| Time: | 10:50 LT |
| Type: |  Bell UH-1H |
| Owner/operator: | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Registration: | N30TV |
| MSN: | 73-21853 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5331 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming T53L-13B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Savannah, TN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Muscle Shoals, AL |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Helicopter (hel) was being used to string rope/wires with chief pilot (PIC) in left front seat, copilot in right front seat, & 2 observers behind pilots on either side. Witnesses observed hel approach 150' tall pole with a workman at the top. Workman was to connect a rope to a 17' line from the hel which had 600 lbs of weights attached. Foreman in charge of ground operations was observing on ground between his vehicle & the pole. He was not in radio contact with pilots, although vehicle was radio equipped. Witnesses saw hel approach workman & pole from above with hel's nose facing northwest. Wind was from 110 deg at 9 gusting 19 kts. Observers were watching from sides of hel; right observer was providing suggested flight directions for the copilot, who was on the controls. Hel came to a high hover over the pole; workman attempted to attach the rope. Witnesses said hel descended as it drifted left & forward of pole & workman, then it began to back up & climb. Rotor blades struck pole & workman. Hel then rolled right, descended, & impacted ground on its right side. The hook system that was normally used for this type of operation was on another hel & was not available for this mission. Instead, a 'U' shaped swivel hook with a bolt & nut arrangement was used. The normal hook system would have allowed the workman to quickly hook the rope to the hel within seconds. Video tape showed hel hovering above workman & pole for 1-1/4 min until tape stopped (just before accident). Operation Manual required 2-way radio communication between pilot & ground crew (unless otherwise authorized by Manager of Aviation Services). There was no communication between pilot & ground crew from time hel was overhead until accident occurred.
Probable Cause: failure of the flight crew to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from the pole and workman. Related factors were: the gusty wind condition, inadequate communication/coordination between the flight crew and ground personnel, and an improper external system for this type of operation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MIA98GA069
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Apr-2024 14:36 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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