20050221003659A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Snias AS350BA · Lihue, HI · February 21, 2005

Date: February 21, 2005 · 11:33 local
Place: Lihue, HI
Airport: Lihue Airport
Phase of flight: Aerial Taxi To Tkof/Rtrcrft
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: OHAA
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N905BK
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX05CA102
Reported as: Snias AS350BA
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 16,600 total12,000 in this make and model120 in the last 90 days

N905BKRegistration cancelled Jan 30, 2006 · Aerospatiale AS350BAS/N 2509 · Built 1991 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) The aircraft was parked on a pad at the lih heliport. Operations at this heliport normally require that the helicopter be brought to a 3-5 foot hover, backed out to a grassy ramp area, pedal turned to line up with the runway, and depart. In this case the stinger and ventral stabilizer impacted the ground 12 inches from the edge of the pad as the aircraft was backed away from the pad. The ventral stabilizer was not totally torn away from the tail boom. The impact was at the bottom of the stabilizer and caused the stabilizer to shift forward 6 to 8 inches. This action caused overload damage at the attach point of the stabilizer to the tail boom.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED ON A PAD AT THE LIH HELIPORT. OPERATIONS AT THIS HELIPORT NORMALLY REQUIRE THAT THE HELICOPTER BE BROUGHT TO A 3-5 FOOT HOVER, BACKED OUT TO A GRASSY RAMP AREA, PEDAL TURNED TO LINE UP WITH THE RUNWAY, AND DEPART. IN THIS CASE THE STINGER AND VENTRAL STABILIZER IMPACTED THE GROUND 12 INCHES FROM THE EDGE OF THE PAD AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS BACKED AWAY FROM THE PAD. THE VENTRAL STABILIZER WAS NOT TOTALLY TORN AWAY FROM THE TAIL BOOM. THE IMPACT WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STABILIZER AND CAUSED THE STABILIZER TO SHIFT FORWARD 6 TO 8 INCHES. THIS ACTION CAUSED OVERLOAD DAMAGE AT THE ATTACH POINT OF THE STABILIZER TO THE TAIL BOOM.

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 LAX05CA102Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportLihue, HIthe pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance, which resulted in the in-flight collision with terrain.Feb 21, 2005 · Substantial damage