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| Date: | Tuesday 22 November 2022 |
| Time: | 19:57 LT |
| Type: |  Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk |
| Owner/operator: | Helistream Inc. |
| Registration: | N160AQ |
| MSN: | 70309 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2010 |
| Engine model: | General Electric T700-GE-401C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | San Diego-Brown Field Municipal Airport, CA (SDM/KSDM) -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | San Diego-Gillespie Field, CA (SEE/KSEE) |
| San Diego-Brown Field Municipal Airport, CA (SDM/KSDM) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Sikorsky UH-60A, N160AQ, and a U.S. Navy Sikorsky MH-60R, 166583, were substantially damaged when they were involved in a mid-air accident near San Diego, California. There were no injuries to the two pilots in the UH-
60, or the two pilots and one non-flying crewmember in the MH-60R. The UH-60 was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 training flight. The MH-60R was operated as an Armed Forces public use flight.
According to the pilot-in-command (PIC) of the UH-60A (Copter 129), he and a second pilot were conducting night vision goggle training.
The first helicopter (N160AQ) to arrive was cleared for the option to land on the runway 26L underrun, at their own risk, but remained under control of the controller. The first helicopter flew one traffic pattern and then returned to the underrun and landed. The second helicopter arrived at the airport about 8 minutes later, and was cleared by the controller for the option to land on the runway 26L underrun. After the second helicopter crew reported that the first helicopter was in sight, the controller instructed them to 'maintain visual separation' from the first helicopter, which the crew of the second helicopter acknowledged.
While the first helicopter was on the underrun's surface area preparing to take off, the second helicopter turned to the base leg of the traffic pattern. The controller believed that the second helicopter may have turned early and would possibly overfly the first helicopter, so he told the first helicopter that he needed him to take off; the pilot replied that they were taking off. The controller then made two radio calls to the second helicopter, one not received, and the other garbled. The controller then instructed the second helicopter to perform a go-around on the north side of runway 26L. While the pilot of the first helicopter was performing the takeoff, he saw the second helicopter overhead and attempted evasive action. While maneuvering, the main rotor blades of the first helicopter struck the second helicopter's stabilator, which substantially damaged the main rotor blades of the first helicopter and the stabilator of the second helicopter. Both helicopters then landed on the airfield and shut down.
The takeoff instructions for the first helicopter, followed by the go around instructions for the second helicopter, combined with the night conditions, likely created a scenario where the second helicopter crew lost visual contact with the first helicopter and overtook it from overhead. The controller was concerned that the second helicopter would overfly the first helicopter but did not issue a safety alert. The lack of a safety alert likely prevented the flight crews from understanding how close the helicopters were to each other, as well as their urgent need to take action to avoid a collision.
Probable Cause: The failure of the crewmembers of the second helicopter to maintain visual separation with the first helicopter while complying with the LC controller's instruction to go around. Contributing to the accident were the nighttime conditions and the lack of a safety alert from the controller to either helicopter.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR23LA045
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Jan-2025 09:41 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 02-Jan-2025 09:50 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
| 02-Jan-2025 09:51 | ASN | Updated [Location, ] |
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