20040813018609I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bolkms BK117B2 · Tulsa, OK · August 13, 2004

Date: August 13, 2004 · 10:32 local
Place: Tulsa, OK
Airport: St Francis Hospital Heliport
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: QMLA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N62LF
Reported as: Bolkms BK117B2
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 13,000 total1,000 in this make and model75 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) Pilot tatom departed the south helipad at st. Francis Hospital on a maintenance flight. During the flight both pilot and mechanic heard a noise coming from the right side of the aircraft and landed immediately on the north pad at st. Francis Hospital. The right engine cowling had departed the aircraft and damage was observed to all four main rotor blades. Pilot in command failed to conduct a final preflight inspection prior to flight.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT TATOM DEPARTED THE SOUTH HELIPAD AT ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL ON A MAINTENANCE FLIGHT. DURING THE FLIGHT BOTH PILOT AND MECHANIC HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND LANDED IMMEDIATELY ON THE NORTH PAD AT ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL. THE RIGHT ENGINE COWLING HAD DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT AND DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO ALL FOUR MAIN ROTOR BLADES. PILOT IN COMMAND FAILED TO CONDUCT A FINAL PREFLIGHT INSPECTION PRIOR TO FLIGHT.