seriously injured and the patient, flight nurse, and paramedic sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was registered to and operated by an EMS operator. A company visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the patient transfer flight that departed Jackson County Hospital, near Waurika, Oklahoma, about 0133. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the air medical flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135.


According to the pilot, he stated that he and his


Duncan, Oklahoma, based medical crew had just returned from a flight to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, when he received a call from company dispatch to pickup a patient in Waurika and transport him to United Regional Hospital in Wichita Falls. The pilot accepted the flight, but told dispatch that they needed 15 minutes on the ground to prepare for the flight since they had just landed.


The pilot said that he, along with the paramedic


and flight nurse, re-boarded the helicopter, performed the necessary checklists, called dispatch and filed a flight plan. The flight to Waurika was uneventful. After landing, the pilot stayed in the helicopter for about 20 minutes with the engine running while the patient was prepped and loaded. The pilot and medical crew then departed for Wichita Falls. The weather was clear and the wind was 3 knots or less. Upon arriving in Wichita Falls, the pilot said he performed a “high recon” of United Regional Hospital’s helipad and called out his intentions to land. He performed the pre-landing checklists, and started the approach to the helipad from the northwest at an altitude of 700 feet above ground level (agl). Both of the hospital’s lighted windsocks were “limp” but were positioned so they were pointing toward the northwest. The pilot, who had landed at this helipad on numerous occasions, said the approach was normal until he got closer to the helipad. He said he felt fast “about 12- 15 knots” and a “little high,” so he decided to abort the approach. At this point, with about ¼ to ½-inch of left anti-torque pedal applied, he added power, “tipped the nose over to get airspeed,” and “pulled collective.” The pilot said that as soon as he brought the collective up, the helicopter entered a rapid right turn. He described the turn as “violent” and that it was the fastest he had ever “spun” in a helicopter. The pilot told the crew to hold on and that he was “going to try and fly out of it.” The pilot said he tried hard to get control of the helicopter by applying cyclic and initially “some” left anti-torque pedal “but nothing happened.” The pilot said he added more, but not full left anti- torque pedal as the helicopter continued to spin and he was still unable to regain control. He also said the engine had plenty of power and was operating fine. The pilot recalled the helicopter spinning at least five times before impacting the ground. The pilot said the helicopter landed inverted and quickly filled up with smoke. He unbuckled his seatbelt assembly, took off his helmet, punched out the windshield and exited the burning helicopter.


The pilot also said that he did not hear any unusual noises prior to the “tail coming out from underneath them” and did not recall hearing any warning horns or


42 January 2015


seeing any warning/caution lights. When asked what he thought caused the helicopter to spin to the right so quickly, he replied, “I don’t know.”


The helicopter was equipped with tracking


software that recorded its position every 60 seconds. A preliminary review of the track data revealed that after the helicopter departed Waurika, it flew on a southwesterly heading until it crossed Highway 447 in Wichita Falls. It then flew on a westerly heading until it reached Highway 287, where it then turned on a northwesterly heading. As it flew to the northwest, the helicopter flew past United Regional Hospital to the east before it made a 180-degree turn about 1 to 1.5 miles north of the hospital. The helicopter then proceeded directly to the helipad on a southeasterly heading before the data stopped at 0154, about .2 miles northwest of the helipad. At that time, the helicopter was about 212 feet above ground level (agl), on a heading of 138 degrees at a ground speed of 11 knots.


A portion of the accident flight and impact were


captured on one of the hospital’s surveillance cameras. A preliminary review of the surveillance tape revealed the helicopter approached the helipad from the north with the spotlight turned on. (The pilot did state in his interview that he was using the spotlight during the approach). The helicopter then climbed and went out of frame before it reappeared in a descending right hand turn before it impacted the ground. The time of impact was recorded at 0154:56. About six seconds later, a large explosion occurred where the helicopter impacted the ground.


An examination at the scene of the helicopter was conducted October 4-5, 2014, under the supervision of the National Transportation Safety Board Investigator- in-Charge (NTSB IIC). The helicopter collided with power lines and came to rest inverted between two trees that lined a public sidewalk about one block northeast of the helipad. All major components of the helicopter were located at the main impact site. A post-impact fire consumed the main fuselage and portion of the tail boom. The tail rotor assembly and vertical fin exhibited minor fire and impact damage.


The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for


rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument rotorcraft- helicopter. His employer reported his total flight time as 1,810 hours. About 1,584 of those hours were in helicopters, of which, 214 hours were in the Bell 206 model helicopter. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second class medical was issued on May 13, 2014, without limitations or waivers.


CEN15TA017 – PRELIMINARY INJURIES: 1 MINOR


On October 17, 2014, about 1245 mountain daylight time, an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3 helicopter, N852BP, rolled over on its right side during takeoff near Lordsburg, New Mexico. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was registered and operated by a government agency under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a public use flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was originating at the


time of the accident. According


to the CBP investigators,


the


pilot


reported that during the takeoff he drifted backward and the aft-right skid might have hit a rock embedded in the ground. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter.


At 1256, the automated weather observation at the Bisbee-Douglas International Airport, near Douglas & Bisbee, Arizona, which was 38 miles west of the accident site, reported: calm wind, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 79° Fahrenheit (F), dew point 39° F, and altimeter setting 30.08 inches of mercury.


CEN15TA035– PRELIMINARY INJURIES: 3 UNINJURED


On October 23, 2014, about 1400 central daylight time, a Bell Helicopter model UH-1H, N72595, was substantially damaged when the left cabin sliding door separated during cruise flight near San Isidro, Texas. The three crew members were not injured. The aircraft was registered to a government agency under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a public use flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Brooks County Airport (BKS), Falfurrias, Texas, about 1345. The intended destination was the McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE), McAllen, Texas, after conducting a routine law enforcement patrol flight.


The crew reported that about 15 minutes after


departure, during cruise flight, they heard a loud bang and the pilot felt a momentary upset in the helicopter’s flight path. The helicopter performed normally after the event; however, the crew elected to perform a precautionary landing to an open field. During the post-flight inspection, the crew determined that the left side sliding cabin door had departed the aircraft. It was subsequently located, separated into two pieces about 1 mile northeast of the landing site.


ERA15FA025B – PRELIMINARY INJURIES: 3 FATAL,1 MINOR,1 UNINJURED.


On October 23, 2014, about 1537 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, N122ES, and a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N7518Q, operated by a commercial operator collided in midair approximately 1 mile southwest of the Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), Frederick, Maryland. The helicopter departed controlled flight after the collision, descended vertically, and was destroyed by impact forces at ground contact. The airplane also departed controlled flight, the ballistic parachute system was deployed, and the airplane landed nose-down in a thicket of low trees and brush. The flight instructor, commercial pilot receiving instruction, and a passenger in the helicopter were fatally injured. The private pilot on board the airplane was not injured, and his passenger sustained a minor injury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the airplane, which departed Cleveland, Tennessee, on a personal flight about 1247. No flight plan was filed for the helicopter, which departed FDK on a pre-rental checkout flight about 1535. Both flights


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54