20110409026369I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Eurocopter AS 350 B2 · Buckeye, AZ · April 9, 2011

Date
April 9, 2011 · 05:00 local
Place
Buckeye, AZ
Phase of flight
Hover/Holding
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
HEEA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N354P
Reported as
Eurocopter AS 350 B2
Reported engine
Turbomeca ARRIEL-1D1
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
12,860 total1,063 in this make and model18 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.

While overhead at the scene the aircraft was diverted to a rural fire station helipad. At the time the pilot reports it was drizzling. Nvg's were being used during the flight including the approach and landing. The pilot terminated at a hover but was having difficulty seeing his surroundings. He drifted to the rear and put the tail rotor into a fence damaging the tail rotor blades. After removing his nvg's, the pilot saw that his wind screen had fogged over. Pilot shut down the aircraft and noticed the damaged tail rotor blades during post flight.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE OVERHEAD AT THE SCENE THE AIRCRAFT WAS DIVERTED TO A RURAL FIRE STATION HELIPAD. AT THE TIME THE PILOT REPORTS IT WAS DRIZZLING. NVG'S WERE BEING USED DURING THE FLIGHT INCLUDING THE APPROACH AND LANDING. THE PILOT TERMINATED AT A HOVER BUT WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY SEEING HIS SURROUNDINGS. HE DRIFTED TO THE REAR AND PUT THE TAIL ROTOR INTO A FENCE DAMAGING THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES. AFTER REMOVING HIS NVG'S, THE PILOT SAW THAT HIS WIND SCREEN HAD FOGGED OVER. PILOT SHUT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT AND NOTICED THE DAMAGED TAIL ROTOR BLADES DURING POST FLIGHT.