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20050524011689I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bolkms BK117B1 · St Louis, MO · May 24, 2005

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 24, 2005 · 21:45 local
Place
St Louis, MO
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
A1UA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N770SL
Reported as
Bolkms BK117B1
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
4,838 total1,700 in this make and model30 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) The pilot privacy data omitted stated that after unloading a patient and medical crew at barnes hospital he secured the clamsheel aft cargo doors and walked around to the left side of the aircraft and secured the left sliding cargo door. The pilot stated that he pulled on the door to ensure that it had latched. The pilot then completed his walk around and then departed barnes hospital at 2135 headed to arch base (MU05) for fuel. After 2 minutes into the flight at cruise the pilot stated that the master caution light illuminated. Pilot stated that he looked down and noticed that the door light was illuminated. Two seconds later he heard a loud bang and the aircraft yawed left approximately 20 degrees and vibrated for 5 seconds. The pilot privacy data omitted stated that he contacted arch base (dispatch) via radio and declared an emergency and informed them that he was going to land at st. Louis downtown parks airport (cps). The pilot privacy data omitted then contacted the air traffic control tower at cps. The pilot stated that he confirmed that he had control of the tail rotor and all flight controls responded properly. The pilot requested and was cleared to land at an open ramp located on the northeast side of the airport. The pilot stated that he secured the aircraft and performed a walk around. He then noted that the left sliding door was missing from the aircraft. Further investigation revealed impact damage to all four main rotor blades and tail rotor as a result of the left sliding cargo door hitting the main rotor and breaking into pieces. The debris from the door went into the tail rotor. The debris was found in the parking lot and rooftop of st. Louis university hospital and surrounding area. The investigation indicated that the door was pulling on the lower track at the aft section and on the forward and aft sections of the top track. There were no tension marks on the lower track on the forward end. An SDR will be submitted. This investigation is closed with this report.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ STATED THAT AFTER UNLOADING A PATIENT AND MEDICAL CREW AT BARNES HOSPITAL HE SECURED THE CLAMSHEEL AFT CARGO DOORS AND WALKED AROUND TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND SECURED THE LEFT SLIDING CARGO DOOR. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE PULLED ON THE DOOR TO ENSURE THAT IT HAD LATCHED. THE PILOT THEN COMPLETED HIS WALK AROUND AND THEN DEPARTED BARNES HOSPITAL AT 2135 HEADED TO ARCH BASE (MU05) FOR FUEL. AFTER 2 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT AT CRUISE THE PILOT STATED THAT THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED. PILOT STATED THAT HE LOOKED DOWN AND NOTICED THAT THE DOOR LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. TWO SECONDS LATER HE HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THE AIRCRAFT YAWED LEFT APPROXIMATELY 20 DEGREES AND VIBRATED FOR 5 SECONDS. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ STATED THAT HE CONTACTED ARCH BASE (DISPATCH) VIA RADIO AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND INFORMED THEM THAT HE WAS GOING TO LAND AT ST. LOUIS DOWNTOWN PARKS AIRPORT (CPS). THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ THEN CONTACTED THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AT CPS. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE CONFIRMED THAT HE HAD CONTROL OF THE TAIL ROTOR AND ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS RESPONDED PROPERLY. THE PILOT REQUESTED AND WAS CLEARED TO LAND AT AN OPEN RAMP LOCATED ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE SECURED THE AIRCRAFT AND PERFORMED A WALK AROUND. HE THEN NOTED THAT THE LEFT SLIDING DOOR WAS MISSING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED IMPACT DAMAGE TO ALL FOUR MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND TAIL ROTOR AS A RESULT OF THE LEFT SLIDING CARGO DOOR HITTING THE MAIN ROTOR AND BREAKING INTO PIECES. THE DEBRIS FROM THE DOOR WENT INTO THE TAIL ROTOR. THE DEBRIS WAS FOUND IN THE PARKING LOT AND ROOFTOP OF ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND SURROUNDING AREA. THE INVESTIGATION INDICATED THAT THE DOOR WAS PULLING ON THE LOWER TRACK AT THE AFT SECTION AND ON THE FORWARD AND AFT SECTIONS OF THE TOP TRACK. THERE WERE NO TENSION MARKS ON THE LOWER TRACK ON THE FORWARD END. AN SDR WILL BE SUBMITTED. THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED WITH THIS REPORT.