What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On August 8, 2000 at approx. 2200 local, heli N10864 crashed on take-off fatally injuring one passenger and seriously injuring the other. The heli was in a 2-3 foot hover, on take-off, when it suddenly rolled to the right. The rotor blades stuck the ground then came around and struck the left side of the fuselage. The heli rolled 360 degrees and came to rest on the skids approx 50 feet from the area it was hovering over. The pilot received minor injuries. (.4) during takeoff, prior to transitioning to forward flight, the helicopter rolled violently to the right one complete revolution, impacting the ground inverted and then coming to rest upright on its skids. A passenger in the left, front seat, restrained by a lap belt and partially restrained by a shoulder belt that separated under load, was struck on the helmet and left shoulder by a main rotor blade that swept along the left side of the helicopter and was seriously injured. A passenger in the left rear seat, with a lap belt but without a shoulder restraint available, was partially ejected from the helicopter and was struck by the passing main rotor blade and fata lly injured. Six witnesses and the pilot reported the helicopter was hovering at between 2 and 5 feet above the ground before the roll ensued. In the 2-hour period before the accident, a thunderstorm passed west of the accident location and there was a windstorm at the accident location estimated to have been 50 - 60 knots. The main and tail rotor blades were secured during the windstorm. At the time of the accident, the wind was steady on the nose of the helicopter at 5 - 10 knots. None of the witnesses reported observing any dust devils or unsteady wind. The ground surface near the initial hover location, where marks may have been present, was obscured by emergency vehicle movement and rain that fell after the accident and prior to the investigator's arrival on-scene. The investigation and laboratory examination of fracture surfaces did not reveal any evidence of preaccident mechanical failures.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON AUGUST 8, 2000 AT APPROX. 2200 LOCAL, HELI N10864 CRASHED ON TAKE-OFF FATALLY INJURING ONE PASSENGER AND SERIOUSLY INJURING THE OTHER. THE HELI WAS IN A 2-3 FOOT HOVER, ON TAKE-OFF, WHEN IT SUDDENLY ROLLED TO THE RIGHT. THE ROTOR BLADES STUCK THE GROUND THEN CAME AROUND AND STRUCK THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE HELI ROLLED 360 DEGREES AND CAME TO REST ON THE SKIDS APPROX 50 FEET FROM THE AREA IT WAS HOVERING OVER. THE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. (.4) DURING TAKEOFF, PRIOR TO TRANSITIONING TO FORWARD FLIGHT, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED VIOLENTLY TO THE RIGHT ONE COMPLETE REVOLUTION, IMPACTING THE GROUND INVERTED AND THEN COMING TO REST UPRIGHT ON ITS SKIDS. A PASSENGER IN THE LEFT, FRONT SEAT, RESTRAINED BY A LAP BELT AND PARTIALLY RESTRAINED BY A SHOULDER BELT THAT SEPARATED UNDER LOAD, WAS STRUCK ON THE HELMET AND LEFT SHOULDER BY A MAIN ROTOR BLADE THAT SWEPT ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HELICOPTER AND WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. A PASSENGER IN THE LEFT REAR SEAT, WITH A LAP BELT BUT WITHOUT A SHOULDER RESTRAINT AVAILABLE, WAS PARTIALLY EJECTED FROM THE HELICOPTER AND WAS STRUCK BY THE PASSING MAIN ROTOR BLADE AND FATA LLY INJURED. SIX WITNESSES AND THE PILOT REPORTED THE HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING AT BETWEEN 2 AND 5 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND BEFORE THE ROLL ENSUED. IN THE 2-HOUR PERIOD BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, A THUNDERSTORM PASSED WEST OF THE ACCIDENT LOCATION AND THERE WAS A WINDSTORM AT THE ACCIDENT LOCATION ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN 50 - 60 KNOTS. THE MAIN AND TAIL ROTOR BLADES WERE SECURED DURING THE WINDSTORM. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE WIND WAS STEADY ON THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER AT 5 - 10 KNOTS. NONE OF THE WITNESSES REPORTED OBSERVING ANY DUST DEVILS OR UNSTEADY WIND. THE GROUND SURFACE NEAR THE INITIAL HOVER LOCATION, WHERE MARKS MAY HAVE BEEN PRESENT, WAS OBSCURED BY EMERGENCY VEHICLE MOVEMENT AND RAIN THAT FELL AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND PRIOR TO THE INVESTIGATOR'S ARRIVAL ON-SCENE. THE INVESTIGATION AND LABORATORY EXAMINATION OF FRACTURE SURFACES DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF PREACCIDENT MECHANICAL FAILURES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N10864 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.