# Accident 20120302003389A: Aerospatiale AS 355F1, Makakilo, HI, March 2, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 2, 2012, 19:40 local time
- Place: Makakilo, HI
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: CUCL
- Location: 21.3401° N, 158.0802° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=21.3401&lon=-158.0802&mi=10
- Aircraft: N101MZ, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N101MZ) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerospatiale AS 355F1 (registry code 8680810, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerospatiale-as-355f1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C20 series (registry code 03020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c20-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AEROSPATIALE AS 355F1
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250-C20 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR12LA125](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR12LA125) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120302003389A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON MARCH 2, 2012, AT APPROXIMATELY 1530, N101MZ WAS BEING OPERATED BY ROGERS HELICOPTERS (CUCL) UNDER 14 CFR § 133 AND WAS CONDUCTING A EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATION IN THE AREA OF MAKAKILO, OAHU, HAWAII. THE PILOT HAD PICKED UP A  LOAD OF APPROXIMATELY 300 POUNDS IN OLD MATERIALS FROM A REMOTE SITE, TO FLY BACK TO THE YARD USING A 100' LONG LINE.AS THE PILOT APPROACHED THE DROP OFF POINT AT THE YARD, HE SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 KNOTS AND WAS IN A STABILIZED DESCENT AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET AGL AND WITHIN 150 FEET FROM THE DROP POINT. AT THIS POINT THE PILOT WAS CONCENTRATING ON DROP POINT AND HIS HEAD WAS LOOKING OUT OF THE HELICOPTER, HE HAD THE HELICOPTER AT LOW POWER DUE TO THE DESCENT PROFILE, IT WAS DURING THIS TIME HE HEARD A MOMENTARY, ONE SECOND WHINING NOISE AND FELT A SLIGHT LOSS OF LIFT. HE TURNED HIS ATTENTION BACK INTO THE COCKPIT AND OBSERVED THE ENGINE CHIP RH CAUTION LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED AND BEGAN TO SMELL A BURNING ODOR. THE PILOT THEN IMMEDIATELY NOSED THE HELICOPTER OVER TO TRANSITION TO FORWARD FLIGHT AND AS SOON AS HE WAS CLEAR OF PERSONNEL AND VEHICLES IN THE YARD, HE RELEASED THE EXTERNAL LOAD. HE CONTINUED TO INCREASE HIS FORWARD AIR SPEED, AND MAINTAINED THE DESCENT PROFILE, HE THEN MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN TOWARD AN AREA OF DIRT AND GRASS THAT WAS BEING USED FOR LANDING.AS THE PILOT COMPLETED THE 180 DEGREE TURN TO THE LANDING SITE, HE BEGAN TO INCREASE COLLECTIVE AND OBSERVED THE TORQUE TO BE APPROX 85 PERCENT. AS THE HELICOPTER HIT THE GROUND, IT RAN ONTO THE DIRT AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AND BOUNCED TWICE ON THE UNEVEN DIRT TERRAIN COMING TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THE PILOT DID NOT DETECT A ROTOR BLADE STRIKE OR FUSELAGE DAMAGE DURING THIS LANDING. PILOT IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF BOTH THE ENGINE FUEL CONTROLS AND FUEL VALVES. THE PILOT OBSERVED THAT THERE WAS NO FIRE PRESENT TO THE HELICOPTER, AND UPON A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE #2 ENGINE; HE OBSERVED SEPARATION OF THE EXHAUST AND COMBUSTION TUBE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR12LA125](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR12LA125), Mar 3, 2012: Aerospatiale AS 355F1 (N101MZ), Makakilo City, HI, substantial damage. Probable cause: A partial loss of engine power while maneuvering over rough/uneven terrain that was precipitated by the failure of a 3rd stage turbine blade as a result of high-cycle fatigue.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.