20100320029919I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Eurocopter EC 135 T2+ · Durham, NC · March 20, 2010

Date: March 20, 2010 · 19:21 local
Place: Durham, NC
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: QMLA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N135DU
Reported as: Eurocopter EC 135 T2+
Reported engine: Turbomeca ARRIUS-2B2
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,260 total410 in this make and model60 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.

Aircraft was returning to assigned base from hospital and was in level cruise flight at 2500 feet and 120 knots. Loud report was heard by flight crew and pilot initially thought he had an engine failure. After determining his engine was operating he was informed by crewmember in left front seat that there was a softball sized hole in the windscreen. Determination was made to continue flight to base. After landing windscreen damage was discovered by pilot.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNING TO ASSIGNED BASE FROM HOSPITAL AND WAS IN LEVEL CRUISE FLIGHT AT 2500 FEET AND 120 KNOTS. LOUD REPORT WAS HEARD BY FLIGHT CREW AND PILOT INITIALLY THOUGHT HE HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE. AFTER DETERMINING HIS ENGINE WAS OPERATING HE WAS INFORMED BY CREWMEMBER IN LEFT FRONT SEAT THAT THERE WAS A SOFTBALL SIZED HOLE IN THE WINDSCREEN. DETERMINATION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE FLIGHT TO BASE. AFTER LANDING WINDSCREEN DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED BY PILOT.