20030202009269I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Snias AS350B3 · El Paso, TX · February 2, 2003

Date: February 2, 2003 · 15:20 local
Place: El Paso, TX
Phase of flight: Starting Engines
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: NE6A
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N433AE
Reported as: Snias AS350B3
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,500 total100 in this make and model50 in the last 90 days

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) On February 2, 2003, at 1321 MST a Eurocopter AS-350-B3, N433AE, registered to enchantment aviation, inc. dba southwest air ambulance, sustained a rotor strike on the tail boom during start up in high winds, at thomason general hospital, El Paso, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained minor damage and the commercially certificated pilot and two medical attendants were not injured.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON FEBRUARY 2, 2003, AT 1321 MST A EUROCOPTER AS-350-B3, N433AE, REGISTERED TO ENCHANTMENT AVIATION, INC. DBA SOUTHWEST AIR AMBULANCE, SUSTAINED A ROTOR STRIKE ON THE TAIL BOOM DURING START UP IN HIGH WINDS, AT THOMASON GENERAL HOSPITAL, EL PASO, TEXAS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE COMMERCIALLY CERTIFICATED PILOT AND TWO MEDICAL ATTENDANTS WERE NOT INJURED.