20060413012259A

(-23) Two bodies had been removed from the helicopter and transported away from the accident scene. FAA inspector privacy data omitted ^ turned off the emergency locator transmitter ELT. (A fireman used a cutting tool to gain access). We took pictures from various angles and distances. We spoke to police officers who had been searching for a fugitive in a nearby wooded area. The helicopter was about 10' east of staebler rd, in an area of tall grass between the pavement and a wooded area. It was pointing approximately 140 degrees. The instrument panel was upside down, outside the cockpit, but still attached by wires. The fuel selector had been turned of by the first responders. We turned off the electrical master switch. The carburetor heat was in the off position, and the carburetor heat lock was disengaged. A map light, the magnetic compass, a fire extinguisher and a cell phone had been ejected from the helicopter and were found ahead and to the right of it. There was a freshly broken tree branch about 20' up an about 10' behind the helicopter. The hour meter read 0689.3. The passenger-side collective control was broken off. The helicopter appears to have hit the ground (there was a depression in the earth, about 5' directly behind the helicopter), then slid forward and come to rest against a large stump. It was tipped about 30 degrees to the right. The skids were spread and the lower portion of the fuselage was crushed, especially the right rear. The tail boom was partially dislodged from the fuselage. The aft-most 3' of the tail boom was broken off. The main rotor blades were bent down. The advancing main rotor blade was dented. The bark of a small tree was damaged where it appears that it was hit by the advancing blade. One of the tail rotor blades was intact, and the other one was broken off. The "lts" circuit breaker collar was out. The right fuel filler cap was red (the color of the fuselage) and left fuel filler cap was silver. There were two camping-style propane bottles under the passenger seat. The R-22'S pilot's operating handbook (section 2, limitations, page 2-12) calls for a placard inside the baggage compartment that says in part: "avoid placing objects in compartment which could injure occupant if seat collapses during hard landing." We were unable to open the baggage compartment under the pilot's seat. The pilot was privacy data omitted, holder of privae pilot certificate privacy data omitted. He was a captain with the chelsea, MI fire department. The passenger was privacy data omitted the chelsea chief of police. They were voluntarily assisting the Michigan state police and the washtenaw county sheriff's department, in the search for a fugitive in a wooded area. They had been communicating with the officers on the ground, using a hand-held police radio. Police officers from both departments stated that the helicopter had been circling, then flew straight in a southeasterly direction. It was about 200' above ground level, and going about 40 miles per hour over the ground. They stated that the helicopter had been overhead for about 3 minutes when the helicopter engine made a "pop" sound and then was quiet. The helicopter went into a steep descent and the rotor blades made a "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh" sound, according to a witness. The next morning we returned to the crash scene and assisted the investigator from the NTSB, privacy data omitted. He showed us a sample of fuel taken from the carburetor. It was straw-colored and smelled like gasoline. It contained orange particles and black particles, and a whitish thread that looked like silicone sealant. We subsequently obtained a 1.5 gallon sample from the pilot's fuel supply at his home. There were two layers, one blue and one green. There were bits of sediment in the fuel. The samples, and samples from the helicopter, were taken to selfridge air national guard base, to be sent to the wright patterson air force base fuel lab for analysis. (See FAA inspector privacy data omitted report concerning fuel issues). The engine has been sent to the manufacturer in williamsport, pa for teardown and analysis. The pilot's family provided us with a paid invoice for 278.2 gallons of "100 oct" that he had purchased from g.e. wacker inc. of manchester, MI on 11/29/05. They gave us access to the aircraft and engine logbooks and the pilot's logbook. The aircraft and engine logbooks showed that they had been maintained properly. The pilot's logbook showed that he had been properly trained, tested and had received the appropriate flight reviews, although the flight review that was due on 7/31/2005 was accomplished on 8/11/2005. The weather report for the nearest reporting station, ann arbor, at 2:53 pm local time, listed the wind from the west at 14 knots, the temperature 23 c and the dew point 7C. The condition of the fuselage indicates that the helicopter struck the ground very hard. The condition of the main rotor blades indicates that they were turning slowly when the helicopter hit the stump and the small tree.