# Incident 20050524011689I: Bolkms BK117B1, St Louis, MO, May 24, 2005

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 24, 2005, 21:45 local time
- Place: St Louis, MO
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: A1UA
- Location: 38.6273° N, 90.1979° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of St. Louis, MO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6273&lon=-90.1979&mi=10
- Aircraft: N770SL (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BOLKMS BK117B1
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,838 total, 1,700 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050524011689I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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