20050601012759A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Snias AS 350 B2 · Bisbee, AZ · June 1, 2005

Date: June 1, 2005
Place: Bisbee, AZ
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: UM8M
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N5205F
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX05GA192
Reported as: Snias AS350B2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 8,000 total600 in this make and model120 in the last 90 days

N5205FRegistration cancelled Jun 14, 2013 · Eurocopter AS 350 B2S/N 3109 · Built 1998 Airframe modelEurocopter AS 350 B2 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) Pilot entered into a down wind descent into a mountain bowl to search for undocumented aliens. During this descent pilot lost tail rotor authority and began spinning. The ship impacted the ground in almost straight path with a slight rotational twist. The ship sustained substantial damage. The pilot sustained a broken back and his passenger received a dislocated shoulder.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT ENTERED INTO A DOWN WIND DESCENT INTO A MOUNTAIN BOWL TO SEARCH FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS. DURING THIS DESCENT PILOT LOST TAIL ROTOR AUTHORITY AND BEGAN SPINNING. THE SHIP IMPACTED THE GROUND IN ALMOST STRAIGHT PATH WITH A SLIGHT ROTATIONAL TWIST. THE SHIP SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT SUSTAINED A BROKEN BACK AND HIS PASSENGER RECEIVED A DISLOCATED SHOULDER.

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 LAX05GA192Accident · Serious injuriesFinal reportBisbee, AZthe pilot's failure to maintain an adequate forward airspeed, which resulted in an in-flight loss of control due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, while operating near the out of ground effect hover capability of the helicopter. Contributing factors to…Jun 2, 2005 · Substantial damage