20010922030019A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Snias AS350BA · Buttemeadows, CA · September 22, 2001

Date: September 22, 2001 · 20:05 local
Place: Buttemeadows, CA
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: NTQA
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N911NT
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX01LA304
Reported as: Snias AS350BA
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1

N911NTRegistration cancelled Dec 11, 2003 · Aerospatiale AS350BAS/N 1556 · Built 1985 Airframe modelAerospatiale AS350BA 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.

(-23) During an approach to a confined area, the pilot lost contact with the ground due to an excessive amount of dirt being blown by the downwash of the rotor blade. The pilot aborted the landing and during his go around, the helicopter came in contact with trees approximately 75 feet above the ground. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, one flight nurse was seriously injured and the other sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING AN APPROACH TO A CONFINED AREA, THE PILOT LOST CONTACT WITH THE GROUND DUE TO AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF DIRT BEING BLOWN BY THE DOWNWASH OF THE ROTOR BLADE. THE PILOT ABORTED THE LANDING AND DURING HIS GO AROUND, THE HELICOPTER CAME IN CONTACT WITH TREES APPROXIMATELY 75 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES, ONE FLIGHT NURSE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND THE OTHER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX01LA304Accident · 1 fatalLimited investigationFinal reportChico, CAthe pilot's inadequate in-flight decision and delay in initiating a go-around during an encounter with brown out conditions, which led to his failure to maintain alignment of the helicopter with the intended go-around flight path and a resulting collision…Sep 23, 2001 · Destroyed