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| Date: | Saturday 24 January 1998 |
| Time: | 03:00 |
| Type: |  Hughes 369D |
| Owner/operator: | Big Eye Helicopter |
| Registration: | N521ZZ |
| MSN: | 970190D |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pacific Ocean -
 Pacific Ocean
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot and observer took off from the ship on an aerial observation flight to herd fish. The pilot climbed to about 400 feet, spotted fish, turned downwind, and descended into the prevailing 15-knot tailwind. Neither the descent nor the turn was arrested. The helicopter changed its heading 180 degrees, and the descent continued until the helicopter impacted the water. The helicopter sank and was not recovered. The operator reported that before the pilot died he stated that no engine problems had been experienced. The pilot indicated that he had erred in controlling the helicopter. CAUSE: The pilot's failure to adequately compensate for the wind condition and failure to maintain a proper rate of descent which resulted in the inadvertent loss of tail rotor effectiveness during a downwind turn.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001211X09469
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, ] |
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