19970504014419I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Snias AS350B · Mesa, AZ · May 4, 1997

Date: May 4, 1997 · 18:00 local
Place: Mesa, AZ
Phase of flight: Pwr Off Vert Land/Autorotate
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N140EH
Reported as: Snias AS350B
Reported engine: TMECA ARRIEL1B
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,350 total40 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

N140EHRegistration cancelled Jul 1, 2004 · Aerospatiale AS350BS/N 1456 · Built 1981 Airframe modelAerospatiale AS350B Engine modelTurbomeca ARRIEL-1SERTurbo-shaft

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the PIC was practicing power-recovery autorotation north of falconfield, Mesa AZ on 5-4-97. During a normal power-recovery the helicopter did not respond properly and a hard landing was made in a parking lot adjacent to the salt river. The only visible damage to the helicopter was where the tail cone is bolted to the aft fuselage section. It was wrinkled in this area, there were no injuries and no post-event fire. The helicopter was ground transported to its maintenance base at falcon field for repairs and further inspection.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PIC WAS PRACTICING POWER-RECOVERY AUTOROTATION NORTH OF FALCONFIELD, MESA AZ ON 5-4-97. DURING A NORMAL POWER-RECOVERY THE HELICOPTER DID NOT RESPOND PROPERLY AND A HARD LANDING WAS MADE IN A PARKING LOT ADJACENT TO THE SALT RIVER. THE ONLY VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER WAS WHERE THE TAIL CONE IS BOLTED TO THE AFT FUSELAGE SECTION. IT WAS WRINKLED IN THIS AREA, THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO POST-EVENT FIRE. THE HELICOPTER WAS GROUND TRANSPORTED TO ITS MAINTENANCE BASE AT FALCON FIELD FOR REPAIRS AND FURTHER INSPECTION.