What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 24, 2010 at 1800 LCL I was contacted by the roc and patched into privacy data omitted of Covington police department. I was advised that an accident had occurred involving N91DK a dekalb county police, Eurocopter as 350 B2AT 9A1 Covington Municipal. The pilots were training and performing a hydraulics off landing and lost control of the aircraft which resulted in a steep left turn from runway 28 center line exiting to the grass area and the main rotors contacted the ground and the aircraft crashed and rolled across runway 28 facing a heading of 280 degrees and resulted in a post crash fire witch involved the engine compartment area. I arrived at the scene at 19:45 LCL and observed the aircraft on the right side of the runway and a large debris field across the runway with significant gouging of the asphalt. Both pilots were transported to the hospital to be checked out before I arrived. The instructor pilot sustained some lacerations and required some stitches on the leg and some other miner cuts and abrasions. The dekalb county officer was checked out and was sore from being tossed around in the restraints. I was able to interview a witness to the accident and got the statement in writing. An interview was later conducted at the dekalb county police headquarters. I arrived at the headquarter building a 10:30 LCL as the instructor pilot had indicated that he was going to leave town. I conducted the interview and confirmed in a written statement from the instructor pilot that no mechanical issues caused the crash and the hydraulics off procedure had caused the dekalb county pilot to not input enough tail rotor and lost control. The rotor flight manual cautions against any hover attempt or maneuver with hydraulics off as a loss of control may take place. The dekalb county pilot had indicated in a written statement that the instructor was demonstrating maneuvers with the hydraulics off, which lead to the loss of control. A close examination of the scene confirms the witness and pilot statements as to how the aircraft reacted to the ground strike. A 10, 30, 100 and 1000 hour inspection was accomplished on January 15, 2010 at a total time of 3000 hours. The total time at the time of the accident was 3158 hours and 4538 np and 3352.14 ng cycles. The additional re inspection items were accomplished and documented and accomplished 3010.2 hrs. The last inspection was a 10, 25, 30 and 100 hour inspection on August 12, 2010 at a total time of 3100 hours. The last 30 hour was accomplished September 4, 2010 at a total time of 3130.5 hours. The aircraft was released by the NTSB privacy data omitted to the dekalb police and the aircraft was taken to atlanta air recovery at the request and expense of dekalb county police. The CFR part 91.413 check and inspections were complied with on 07/15/2010
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 AT 1800 LCL I WAS CONTACTED BY THE ROC AND PATCHED INTO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF COVINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. I WAS ADVISED THAT AN ACCIDENT HAD OCCURRED INVOLVING N91DK A DEKALB COUNTY POLICE, EUROCOPTER AS 350 B2AT 9A1 COVINGTON MUNICIPAL. THE PILOTS WERE TRAINING AND PERFORMING A HYDRAULICS OFF LANDING AND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHICH RESULTED IN A STEEP LEFT TURN FROM RUNWAY 28 CENTER LINE EXITING TO THE GRASS AREA AND THE MAIN ROTORS CONTACTED THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED AND ROLLED ACROSS RUNWAY 28 FACING A HEADING OF 280 DEGREES AND RESULTED IN A POST CRASH FIRE WITCH INVOLVED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AREA. I ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AT 19:45 LCL AND OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND A LARGE DEBRIS FIELD ACROSS THE RUNWAY WITH SIGNIFICANT GOUGING OF THE ASPHALT. BOTH PILOTS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL TO BE CHECKED OUT BEFORE I ARRIVED. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT SUSTAINED SOME LACERATIONS AND REQUIRED SOME STITCHES ON THE LEG AND SOME OTHER MINER CUTS AND ABRASIONS. THE DEKALB COUNTY OFFICER WAS CHECKED OUT AND WAS SORE FROM BEING TOSSED AROUND IN THE RESTRAINTS. I WAS ABLE TO INTERVIEW A WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT AND GOT THE STATEMENT IN WRITING. AN INTERVIEW WAS LATER CONDUCTED AT THE DEKALB COUNTY POLICE HEADQUARTERS. I ARRIVED AT THE HEADQUARTER BUILDING A 10:30 LCL AS THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT HAD INDICATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO LEAVE TOWN. I CONDUCTED THE INTERVIEW AND CONFIRMED IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT FROM THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT THAT NO MECHANICAL ISSUES CAUSED THE CRASH AND THE HYDRAULICS OFF PROCEDURE HAD CAUSED THE DEKALB COUNTY PILOT TO NOT INPUT ENOUGH TAIL ROTOR AND LOST CONTROL. THE ROTOR FLIGHT MANUAL CAUTIONS AGAINST ANY HOVER ATTEMPT OR MANEUVER WITH HYDRAULICS OFF AS A LOSS OF CONTROL MAY TAKE PLACE. THE DEKALB COUNTY PILOT HAD INDICATED IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT THE INSTRUCTOR WAS DEMONSTRATING MANEUVERS WITH THE HYDRAULICS OFF, WHICH LEAD TO THE LOSS OF CONTROL. A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SCENE CONFIRMS THE WITNESS AND PILOT STATEMENTS AS TO HOW THE AIRCRAFT REACTED TO THE GROUND STRIKE. A 10, 30, 100 AND 1000 HOUR INSPECTION WAS ACCOMPLISHED ON JANUARY 15, 2010 AT A TOTAL TIME OF 3000 HOURS. THE TOTAL TIME AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS 3158 HOURS AND 4538 NP AND 3352.14 NG CYCLES. THE ADDITIONAL RE INSPECTION ITEMS WERE ACCOMPLISHED AND DOCUMENTED AND ACCOMPLISHED 3010.2 HRS. THE LAST INSPECTION WAS A 10, 25, 30 AND 100 HOUR INSPECTION ON AUGUST 12, 2010 AT A TOTAL TIME OF 3100 HOURS. THE LAST 30 HOUR WAS ACCOMPLISHED SEPTEMBER 4, 2010 AT A TOTAL TIME OF 3130.5 HOURS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED BY THE NTSB ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO THE DEKALB POLICE AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN TO ATLANTA AIR RECOVERY AT THE REQUEST AND EXPENSE OF DEKALB COUNTY POLICE. THE CFR PART 91.413 CHECK AND INSPECTIONS WERE COMPLIED WITH ON 07/15/2010
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.