ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44148
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| Date: | Thursday 20 April 2006 |
| Time: | 16:18 |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-3B-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N22MP |
| MSN: | 3812 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1967 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6009 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | East Hanover Tw, PA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Grantville, PA (7PS4) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot was conducting an out-of-ground effect hover over his property, while the passenger took photographs. At the time, the reciprocating engine helicopter was about 200 feet agl, in an approximate 5 to 10-knot tailwind. The tail of the helicopter began to oscillate left and right, followed by a nose-down descent and impact with a building and terrain. Although the tail oscillated, the helicopter did not spin. The weight of the helicopter at the time of the accident was approximately 2,570 lbs, which was under the 2,850-lb. maximum gross weight of the helicopter. Review of the rotorcraft flight manual revealed that the helicopter was on the edge of the performance envelope, where it could hover out-of-ground-effect at 2,500 lbs., under the given conditions, but not at 2,850 lbs., under the given conditions. In addition, the performance information did not contain any data for hovering out-of-ground-effect in a tailwind, and a tailwind may have required the use of more tail rotor thrust to maintain directional control, which meant there was less power available to the main rotor for the production of lift. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper decision to hover out-of-ground-effect in a tailwind, and his failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor in the accident was the tailwind.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20060425X00485&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 26-Aug-2014 14:05 | A.J.Scholten | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 05-Dec-2017 09:07 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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