Editor’s Note: Although an accident is painful for all involved, a cursory review of what accidents have occurred are both reflective and instructive. Accident reports give us unique insights into specific flights and situations that may make each of us reflect on our own operations or current flying environment. I encourage pilots, mechanics, crewmembers, and decision makers to make it a habit to study the industry’s recent accident history. If they trigger a higher awareness that saves even one life or one airframe, it will have been worth the read.


nesses, who reported "dense fog" in the area at the time of the accident, stated that they only saw the helicopter just before the impact and subsequent explo- sion. The helicopter came to rest inverted on a 268 degree heading, about 750 feet from the intended landing area. According to security camera recordings the heli- copter erupted into a fireball immediately on impact.


WPR13FA264 - PRELIMINARY INJURIES: 2 MINOR, 2 UNINJURED


On June 6, 2013, at 1417 Pacific


daylight time, a Robinson R44 II, N915BW, rolled over following an emer- gency landing in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California. The helicopter was operated by a commercial helicopter flight training operator as a post-maintenance repositioning flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight instructor and private pilot sus- tained minor injuries, the two passengers were not injured. The helicopter sus- tained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The local flight departed Brackett Field Airport, La Verne, California, about 1330 with a planned destination of Long Beach Airport (Daugherty Field), Long Beach, California. Visual meteorological condi- tions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.


According to the flight instructor, the


primary purpose of the flight was to return the helicopter to the flight school, follow- ing maintenance at a facility at Redlands Municipal Airport, Redlands, California. The private pilot rated passenger’s expe- rience was limited to the Robinson R22 helicopter, so the flight instructor invited him along to gain familiarity with the oper- ation of the R44. From Redlands, they flew to Bracket Field to pick up the two passengers, one of who was a relative of the instructor. The instructor’s intention was to give the passengers a tour of the


46 August 2013


Los Angeles area before returning the helicopter to Long Beach. They serviced the helicopter with


fuel, departed, and flew towards Hollywood. The flight then continued west to Santa Monica and back inland over the Universal Studios Theme Park, Forest Lawn Cemetery, and the “Hollywood” sign. From there they transitioned passed the Griffith Observatory, flying east about 1,700 feet msl (mean sea level). A few seconds later, the Main Rotor Gearbox Chip warning light illuminated. The heli- copter continued to operate normally, and the flight instructor immediately began looking for an area to land. He observed a potential landing site


to the left, adjacent to a trail on the south- ern slopes of Griffith Park, and as he approached the area the helicopter began making a sound that he could not accurately describe, other than it was unusual, and he had never heard it before. He could see hikers on the intend- ed landing area, so he turned the helicop- ter left towards the north, following a ridgeline in an effort to find an alternate landing site. He followed the ridge back around to the southwest and spotted a small clearing on a pinnacle at the end of a trail. He initiated a descent, while maneuvering the helicopter onto a west heading. They landed on the clearing, and before he had a chance to fully lower the collective, he felt the helicopter slip. He then raised the collective, and the hel- icopter immediately spun to the left and rolled over. The helicopter came to rest on the


western slope of the ridge, about 5 feet downhill from the landing site. The general area overlooked the Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course, and Vermont Canyon Tennis Courts, about 300 feet below. The helicopter was located on its left


side in dry grass and scrub, with its nose facing north. The main cabin remained largely intact, with the tailboom bent 45 degrees upwards at the bulkhead seam.


One of the main rotor blades was sepa- rated about 2-feet from the teeter hinge, and had come to rest against the tail- boom. The second blade remained attached to the hinge, and sustained bending damage midspan.


CEN13LA331 - PRELIMINARY INJURIES: 2 MINOR


On June 7, 2013, about 2140 central


daylight time, N106LN, a Eurocopter AS 350 B3 helicopter, impacted terrain and came to rest on its side near runway 35 at the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport (GPM), near Grand Prairie, Texas. The two pilots on board the helicopter sus- tained minor injuries. The helicopter sus- tained substantial tailboom damage. The helicopter was operated by a commercial EMS helicopter operator, under the provi- sions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual flight rules conditions (VFR) prevailed for the flight, which did not operate on a VFR flight rules flight plan. The local flight orig- inated from GPM about 2111.


WPR13LA266 - PRELIMINARY INJURIES: 2 UNINJURED


On June 08, 2013, about 0935


mountain standard time, a Eurocopter EC130, N130PH, experienced an engine control malfunction while performing practice autorotation maneuvers near Grand Canyon, Arizona. A commercial helicopter tour operator was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and pilot undergoing instruction (PUI) were not injured; the helicopter sustained sub- stantial damage. The training flight departed Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Grand Canyon about 0815 with a planned destination of Valle Airport, Grand Canyon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan


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