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20040906034469I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bell 430 · Philadelphia, TN · September 6, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 6, 2004 · 15:45 local
Place
Philadelphia, TN
Phase of flight
Hovering
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
HWCA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N432UT
Reported as
Bell 430
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
6,500 total240 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days
N432UTRegistration cancelled Jan 30, 2014 · Bell 430S/N 49012 · Built 1996Airframe modelBell 430Engine modelAllison 250 seriesTurbo-prop

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) The pilot and crew of the EMS helicopter responded to an on-scene flight for patient pickup in a field beside a state highway. After a high recon to identify hazards the pilot began an approach to the landing area. On final approach the pilot noticed wires extending from a house on the same side as the landing zone and then terminated at a 5 foot hover to take a final look at the landing spot. Firefighters standing next to an ambulance gave the pilot a signal to increase hover height, which he did, and then moved forward and landed the helicopter. One of the EMS crewmembers went over to talk to the firefighters and discovered that there had been contact with a hay bale. The crew had felt no contact. They inspected the tail area and found no visible damage. Before departing the area the pilot moved the throttles to full open and got the aircraft light on the wheels; felt no vibration and the pedals responded normally. He reduced the throttles to flight idle and checked the pedals again. During the flight back to the hospital the pilot reported normal pedal response and no vibration. After consulting the helicopter manufacturer the company removed and replaced the tail rotor blades.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT AND CREW OF THE EMS HELICOPTER RESPONDED TO AN ON-SCENE FLIGHT FOR PATIENT PICKUP IN A FIELD BESIDE A STATE HIGHWAY. AFTER A HIGH RECON TO IDENTIFY HAZARDS THE PILOT BEGAN AN APPROACH TO THE LANDING AREA. ON FINAL APPROACH THE PILOT NOTICED WIRES EXTENDING FROM A HOUSE ON THE SAME SIDE AS THE LANDING ZONE AND THEN TERMINATED AT A 5 FOOT HOVER TO TAKE A FINAL LOOK AT THE LANDING SPOT. FIREFIGHTERS STANDING NEXT TO AN AMBULANCE GAVE THE PILOT A SIGNAL TO INCREASE HOVER HEIGHT, WHICH HE DID, AND THEN MOVED FORWARD AND LANDED THE HELICOPTER. ONE OF THE EMS CREWMEMBERS WENT OVER TO TALK TO THE FIREFIGHTERS AND DISCOVERED THAT THERE HAD BEEN CONTACT WITH A HAY BALE. THE CREW HAD FELT NO CONTACT. THEY INSPECTED THE TAIL AREA AND FOUND NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. BEFORE DEPARTING THE AREA THE PILOT MOVED THE THROTTLES TO FULL OPEN AND GOT THE AIRCRAFT LIGHT ON THE WHEELS; FELT NO VIBRATION AND THE PEDALS RESPONDED NORMALLY. HE REDUCED THE THROTTLES TO FLIGHT IDLE AND CHECKED THE PEDALS AGAIN. DURING THE FLIGHT BACK TO THE HOSPITAL THE PILOT REPORTED NORMAL PEDAL RESPONSE AND NO VIBRATION. AFTER CONSULTING THE HELICOPTER MANUFACTURER THE COMPANY REMOVED AND REPLACED THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES.