FACTUAL REPORT AVIATION

Transcription

1 Aircraft Registration Number: N596 Most Critical Injury: None Investigated By: NTSB Location/Time Nearest City/Place Loris Airport Proximity: On Airport/Airstrip Aircraft Information Summary Aircraft Manufacturer EUROCOPTER Zip Code Local Time Time Zone SC 9569 EDT Distance From Landing Facility: Model/Series AS 5 B Type of Aircraft Helicopter Revenue Sightseeing Flight: No Narrative Brief narrative statement of facts, conditions and circumstances pertinent to the accident/incident: Air Medical Transport Flight: On July, 9, about eastern daylight time, a Eurocopter AS 5 B helicopter, N596, operated by Omniflight Helicopters Inc., was substantially damaged while landing at Loris Community Hospital Heliport (5SC5), Loris, South Carolina. The certificated commercial pilot and two clinicians were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company flight plan was filed for the medical positioning flight conducted under the provisions of 4 Code of Federal Regulations Part 9. The flight originated from Conway-Horry County Airport (HYW), Conway, South Carolina, at 4. According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to pick up a patient at 5SC5 for transport. The pilot initiated an approach to 5SC5, to the west, into the wind. As the helicopter approached the helipad, the clinicians were "call(ing)" clear of obstructions, such as trees and light poles. About 5 feet above the helipad, the helicopter shuttered and vibrated. The pilot continued the landing and performed an emergency engine shutdown. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector subsequently interviewed the pilot and clinicians. The FAA inspector stated that although all three persons had been to the heliport before, they simply forgot about several steel poles aligned adjacent to the helipad. Just prior to landing, the tailrotor struck one of the steel poles, and the helicopter came to rest on the helipad. Two of the four steel poles were about feet high and 4 inches in diameter, and the other two were about feet high and 6 inches in diameter. The poles were placed along one side of the helipad along the perimeter line that separated the helipad from a road. According to the operator's Vice President of Clinical Services, all clinicians are trained with the pilots in Air Medical Resource Management (AMRAM). Through that training, the clinicians are taught to point out obstacles and hazards to flight. Examination of the helicopter by the FAA inspector revealed damage to the tailboom, tailrotor, tailrotor gearbox, tailrotor drive shaft, main rotor, and horizontal stabilizer. The recorded weather at an airport approximately 5 miles northeast of the accident site, at 58, included calm wind, clear skies, and visibility miles. The pilot had accumulated,587 total flight hours in rotorcraft, including 5 hours as pilot-in-command in the Eurocopter AS 5 B helicopters. The pilot logged 46, 9, and flight hours in the previous 9,, and days respectively. Subsequent to the accident, the hospital removed the short steel poles adjacent to the helipad. - Page

2 Narrative (Continued) The FAA inspector stated that the FAA will research the crew training, ops specs, and the history of the poles being erected near the helipad. The Eastern Region Safety Manager for Omniflight stated the following in the Recommendation section of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Report form: The conclusion of the Pilot involved and the Company Chief Pilot was that the incident could have been averted if the landing to the landing zone had been made further into the landing zone as to prevent the tail rotor from impacting any obstruction in the vicinity of the edge of the landing zone. Initial and immediate action has been to indoctrinate all pilots flying into medium to small sized landing zones / heliports to position aircraft in such a manner to ensure that all components of the aircraft are clear of all hazards on the periphery and or confines/boundaries of marked landing zones/heliports rather than attempting to place the center of the aircraft at the center of the landing zone / heliport. Corporate wide reassessment of hazards at landing zones/heliports within each regions normal operating area is underway and will be added/updated as needed and posted as part of normal preflight briefings / risk assessments. [ This Report was modified on December, 9 ] Updated on Mar :5PM - Page a

3 Landing Facility/Approach Information Airport Name Airport ID: Airport Elevation Runway Used Runway Length Runway Width Loris Community Hospital Helip 5SC5 9 Ft. MSL N/A Runway Surface Type: Runway Surface Condition: Approach/Arrival Flown: NONE VFR Approach/Landing: Straight-in Aircraft Information Aircraft Manufacturer EUROCOPTER Model/Series AS 5 B Serial Number 96 Airworthiness Certificate(s): Normal Landing Gear Type: Skid Amateur Built Acft? No Number of Seats: 4 Certified Max Gross Wt. LBS Number of Engines: Engine Type: Turbo Shaft Engine Manufacturer: TURBOMECA Model/Series: ARRIEL D Rated Power: 65 HP - Aircraft Inspection Information Type of Last Inspection Date of Last Inspection Time Since Last Inspection Airframe Total Time AAIP 6/9 7 Hours 77 Hours - Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) Information ELT Installed?/Type Yes / Unknown No ELT Aided in Locating Accident Site? No Owner/Operator Information Registered Aircraft Owner Street Address US BANCORP EQUIPMENT FINANCE INC Operator of Aircraft City ADDISON Street Address TX Zip Code OMNIFLIGHT HELICOPTER INC. Operator Does Business As: City ADDISON TX Operator Designator Code: MA Zip Code 75 - Type of U.S. Certificate(s) Held: Air Carrier Operating Certificate(s): On-demand Air Taxi Operating Certificate: Operator Certificate: Regulation Flight Conducted Under: Part 9: General Aviation Type of Flight Operation Conducted: Positioning - Page

4 First Pilot Information Name City Date of Birth Age 4 Sex: M Seat Occupied: Right Occupational Pilot? Yes Certificate Number: Certificate(s): Commercial; Private Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land Rotorcraft/Glider/LTA: Helicopter Instrument Rating(s): Helicopter Instructor Rating(s): None Current Biennial Flight Review? Medical Cert.: Class /8 Medical Cert. Status: With Waivers/Limitations Date of Last Medical Exam: /8 - Flight Time Matrix All A/C This Make and Model Airplane Single Engine Airplane Mult-Engine Night Actual Instrument Simulated Rotorcraft Glider Lighter Than Air Total Time Pilot In Command(PIC) Instructor Instruction Received Last 9 Days Last Days Yes Yes 5 No 46 9 No Flight Plan/Itinerary Type of Flight Plan Filed: Company VFR Departure Point Airport Identifier Departure Time Time Zone Conway SC HYW 4 EDT Destination Airport Identifier Same as Accident/Incident Location 5SC5 Type of Clearance: Type of Airspace: None Weather Information Source of Wx Information: Commercial Weather Service - Page

5 Weather Information WOF ID Observation Time Time Zone WOF Elevation WOF Distance From Accident Site Direction From Accident Site CPC 58 EDT 98 Ft. MSL 5 NM 45 Deg. Mag. Sky/Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear Ft. AGL Condition of Light: Night Lowest Ceiling: None Ft. AGL Visibility: SM Altimeter: 9.87 "Hg Temperature: 6 C Dew Point: 8 C Weather Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions Wind Direction: Wind Speed: Calm Wind Gusts: Visibility (RVR): Ft. Visibility (RVV) SM Precip and/or Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation Accident Information Aircraft Damage: Substantial Aircraft Fire: None Aircraft Explosion None - Injury Summary Matrix First Pilot Second Pilot Student Pilot Flight Instructor Check Pilot Flight Engineer Cabin Attendants Other Crew Passengers - TOTAL ABOARD - Other Ground - GRAND TOTAL - Fatal Serious Minor None TOTAL - Page 4

6 Administrative Information Investigator-In-Charge (IIC) Robert J. Gretz Additional Persons Participating in This Accident/Incident Investigation: Sean Mosher FAA/FSDO West Columbia, SC - Page 5