What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
06-22-10AIRCRAFT went down vertically into a heavily wooded area damaging main rotor blades and pilots canopy. Aircraft was located about 350 feet down mountain in thick vegetation, lying on its left side supported by small trees and brush. The front of the aircraft was facing northwest. The aircraft was intact with damage to main rotor blades. The drive belt system was engaged. Tail rotor blades and drive shaft system was still intact and connected. Pitch change mechanism's still intact and connected. Carburetor controls were intact and connected. No smell of fuel noticed. Open gascolator drain and there was evidence of fuel. All aircraft controls appeared to be intact and connected. Due to terrain and position of aircraft there was limited accessibility to aircraft. Pictures were taken to document condition of aircraft. Onsite mcdowell county emerg response provided information of a video on the abc 13 Asheville news channel's website that the passenger had taken during the accident. The pilot provided his pilots' certificates, medical certificate and aircraft records. Copies were made of these records and documents were returned to the pilot. He could not produce a current airworthiness directive status sheet. Airworthiness directives sign off's appear to have been done using this method because there was no evidence of any airworthiness directives being done on the aircraft. I asked privacy data omitted to provide a statement of what he encountered and he was in the process of doing that and he would email or fax it to me when he was done.06-24-10CALLED morganton-lenoir airport where the helicopter had refueled prior to the accident per pilots statement. Received faxed copies of fuel receipt inv# 00000002 dated 06/21/10 on mastercard no. XXXXXXXX0817 for $87.21. Also received from foothills aviation regional aviation invoice no. 062110BA1 dated June 21, 2010 for 19 gallons of avgas, received truck total sheet and quality control fuel sheet from fuel truck.July 30, 2010BELLE aviation director of maintenance informed me that the battery switch had been left on and the battery was probably dead. Checked oil level and it was at acceptable level to run engine. Checked gascolator for fuel and there was a presence of fuel. Tried to start the engine but it wouldn't start initially. Technician removed all spark plugs in the number 2 and 4 cylinders, also removed the bottom spark plugs in the number 1 and 3 cylinders. The spark plugs in the number 2 and 4 cylinders were oil fouled. After installation the engine was started and ran but was not smooth. After a few seconds it cleared up and engine power was advanced to 1500 RPM but the alternator belt started squealing so a quick magneto check was done successfully with about a 50 RPM drop on each magneto. When idle mixture check was done at shut down the engine appeared to be running rich with an RPM rise of about 150 RPM.received statement from passenger with video footage. He stated that he contracted to wnc for these flights and stated that the flight seemed normal until the aircraft settled into the trees.
As the FAA filed it
06-22-10AIRCRAFT WENT DOWN VERTICALLY INTO A HEAVILY WOODED AREA DAMAGING MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND PILOTS CANOPY.AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED ABOUT 350 FEET DOWN MOUNTAIN IN THICK VEGETATION, LYING ON ITS LEFT SIDE SUPPORTED BY SMALL TREES AND BRUSH. THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FACING NORTHWEST.THE AIRCRAFT WAS INTACT WITH DAMAGE TO MAIN ROTOR BLADES. THE DRIVE BELT SYSTEM WAS ENGAGED. TAIL ROTOR BLADES AND DRIVE SHAFT SYSTEM WAS STILL INTACT AND CONNECTED. PITCH CHANGE MECHANISM'S STILL INTACT AND CONNECTED. CARBURETOR CONTROLS WERE INTACT AND CONNECTED. NO SMELL OF FUEL NOTICED. OPEN GASCOLATOR DRAIN AND THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF FUEL. ALL AIRCRAFT CONTROLS APPEARED TO BE INTACT AND CONNECTED.DUE TO TERRAIN AND POSITION OF AIRCRAFT THERE WAS LIMITED ACCESSIBILITY TO AIRCRAFT. PICTURES WERE TAKEN TO DOCUMENT CONDITION OF AIRCRAFT.ONSITE MCDOWELL COUNTY EMERG RESPONSE PROVIDED INFORMATION OF A VIDEO ON THE ABC 13 ASHEVILLE NEWS CHANNEL'S WEBSITE THAT THE PASSENGER HAD TAKEN DURING THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT PROVIDED HIS PILOTS' CERTIFICATES, MEDICAL CERTIFICATE AND AIRCRAFT RECORDS. COPIES WERE MADE OF THESE RECORDS AND DOCUMENTS WERE RETURNED TO THE PILOT. HE COULD NOT PRODUCE A CURRENT AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE STATUS SHEET. AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES SIGN OFF'S APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN DONE USING THIS METHOD BECAUSE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES BEING DONE ON THE AIRCRAFT. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO PROVIDE A STATEMENT OF WHAT HE ENCOUNTERED AND HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT AND HE WOULD EMAIL OR FAX IT TO ME WHEN HE WAS DONE.06-24-10CALLED MORGANTON-LENOIR AIRPORT WHERE THE HELICOPTER HAD REFUELED PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT PER PILOTS STATEMENT. RECEIVED FAXED COPIES OF FUEL RECEIPT INV# 00000002 DATED 06/21/10 ON MASTERCARD NO. XXXXXXXX0817 FOR $87.21. ALSO RECEIVED FROM FOOTHILLS AVIATION REGIONAL AVIATION INVOICE NO. 062110BA1 DATED JUNE 21, 2010 FOR 19 GALLONS OF AVGAS, RECEIVED TRUCK TOTAL SHEET AND QUALITY CONTROL FUEL SHEET FROM FUEL TRUCK.JULY 30, 2010BELLE AVIATION DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE INFORMED ME THAT THE BATTERY SWITCH HAD BEEN LEFT ON AND THE BATTERY WAS PROBABLY DEAD. CHECKED OIL LEVEL AND IT WAS AT ACCEPTABLE LEVEL TO RUN ENGINE. CHECKED GASCOLATOR FOR FUEL AND THERE WAS A PRESENCE OF FUEL. TRIED TO START THE ENGINE BUT IT WOULDN'T START INITIALLY. TECHNICIAN REMOVED ALL SPARK PLUGS IN THE NUMBER 2 AND 4 CYLINDERS, ALSO REMOVED THE BOTTOM SPARK PLUGS IN THE NUMBER 1 AND 3 CYLINDERS. THE SPARK PLUGS IN THE NUMBER 2 AND 4 CYLINDERS WERE OIL FOULED. AFTER INSTALLATION THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND RAN BUT WAS NOT SMOOTH. AFTER A FEW SECONDS IT CLEARED UP AND ENGINE POWER WAS ADVANCED TO 1500 RPM BUT THE ALTERNATOR BELT STARTED SQUEALING SO A QUICK MAGNETO CHECK WAS DONE SUCCESSFULLY WITH ABOUT A 50 RPM DROP ON EACH MAGNETO. WHEN IDLE MIXTURE CHECK WAS DONE AT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE APPEARED TO BE RUNNING RICH WITH AN RPM RISE OF ABOUT 150 RPM.RECEIVED STATEMENT FROM PASSENGER WITH VIDEO FOOTAGE. HE STATED THAT HE CONTRACTED TO WNC FOR THESE FLIGHTS AND STATED THAT THE FLIGHT SEEMED NORMAL UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED INTO THE TREES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.