What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 30, 2012, helicopter N729DP, an AS350BA, was reported missing by concerned family members. Apparently, on 6/30/12, at 08:25 local time, pilot and owner of N729DP, ray perry departed sdl airport heading toward sez with three other persons onboard the aircraft. Civil air patrol radar analysis recorded a cell phone ping of one of the occupants phone at 12:07 local time, just south of Camp Verde. The regional operations center reported that yavapai county sheriff office (ycso), found aircraft wreckage on 7/1/12, within 0.25 miles of the last known ping. Four fatalities were later confirmed. The wreckage was located in a deep canyon of the Verde river, 8.6 miles south-southeast of Camp Verde, Arizona. The helicopter was laying on its right side in approximately 4-5 feet of water in the center of the Verde river. Vertical cliffs extend up from the river bed approximately 200 feet on both the east and west side of the river. Approximately 300 feet north of the wreckage, was a cable and cart pulley system that spanned the river, and is estimated to have been elevated 40-50 feet above the river. The steel cable was found severed and the carriage, located on the access platform, deformed. The cable ends were broomstrawed consistent with overload failure. The cable end located on the east bank, had grey paint and composite blade fibers imbedded in the cable strands at the cable end. The aircraft structure was heavily fragmented and scattered along the debris path (approximately 100 feet in length). All the impact signatures were relatively consistent with a normal cruise type air speed and wire/cable strike, followed by a surface of water impact. In addition, two of three main rotor blades had their outboard sections (approximately 3 ft) separated from the rest of the blade consistent with a cable strike impact to the leading edge. Signature marks on two of the blades' leading edges, at their separation points, were consistent with a pattern of cable braiding from the cable pulley system that crossed the span (265 ft) of the river near the accident site. The main transmission, and the rotor mast assembly with all blades attached, was found separated from the aircraft structure. All four of the transmission suspension bars were broken with overload fractures. The transmission cross member (dog bone) exhibited an overload signature and a torsional fracture mid-span. The rotor hub's blade attachment star arms were broken mid-span. One pitch change rod exhibited bending damage to the rod mid-span with a signature of the cable striation across the rod. The other rod was separated at its lower connection. The reduction gearbox input pinion and spline nut were misalignment approximately 1MM, consistent with engine drive during an impact of the main rotor.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 30, 2012, HELICOPTER N729DP, AN AS350BA, WAS REPORTED MISSING BY CONCERNED FAMILY MEMBERS. APPARENTLY, ON 6/30/12, AT 08:25 LOCAL TIME, PILOT AND OWNER OF N729DP, RAY PERRY DEPARTED SDL AIRPORT HEADING TOWARD SEZ WITH THREE OTHER PERSONS ONBOARD THE AIRCRAFT. CIVIL AIR PATROL RADAR ANALYSIS RECORDED A CELL PHONE PING OF ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS PHONE AT 12:07 LOCAL TIME, JUST SOUTH OF CAMP VERDE. THE REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER REPORTED THAT YAVAPAI COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE (YCSO), FOUND AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE ON 7/1/12, WITHIN 0.25 MILES OF THE LAST KNOWN PING. FOUR FATALITIES WERE LATER CONFIRMED.THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED IN A DEEP CANYON OF THE VERDE RIVER, 8.6 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CAMP VERDE, ARIZONA. THE HELICOPTER WAS LAYING ON ITS RIGHT SIDE IN APPROXIMATELY 4-5 FEET OF WATER IN THE CENTER OF THE VERDE RIVER. VERTICAL CLIFFS EXTEND UP FROM THE RIVER BED APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET ON BOTH THE EAST AND WEST SIDE OF THE RIVER. APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET NORTH OF THE WRECKAGE, WAS A CABLE AND CART PULLEY SYSTEM THAT SPANNED THE RIVER, AND IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN ELEVATED 40-50 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER. THE STEEL CABLE WAS FOUND SEVERED AND THE CARRIAGE, LOCATED ON THE ACCESS PLATFORM, DEFORMED. THE CABLE ENDS WERE BROOMSTRAWED CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE CABLE END LOCATED ON THE EAST BANK, HAD GREY PAINT AND COMPOSITE BLADE FIBERS IMBEDDED IN THE CABLE STRANDS AT THE CABLE END.THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE WAS HEAVILY FRAGMENTED AND SCATTERED ALONG THE DEBRIS PATH (APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET IN LENGTH). ALL THE IMPACT SIGNATURES WERE RELATIVELY CONSISTENT WITH A NORMAL CRUISE TYPE AIR SPEED AND WIRE/CABLE STRIKE, FOLLOWED BY A SURFACE OF WATER IMPACT. IN ADDITION, TWO OF THREE MAIN ROTOR BLADES HAD THEIR OUTBOARD SECTIONS (APPROXIMATELY 3 FT) SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE BLADE CONSISTENT WITH A CABLE STRIKE IMPACT TO THE LEADING EDGE. SIGNATURE MARKS ON TWO OF THE BLADES' LEADING EDGES, AT THEIR SEPARATION POINTS, WERE CONSISTENT WITH A PATTERN OF CABLE BRAIDING FROM THE CABLE PULLEY SYSTEM THAT CROSSED THE SPAN (265 FT) OF THE RIVER NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE.THE MAIN TRANSMISSION, AND THE ROTOR MAST ASSEMBLY WITH ALL BLADES ATTACHED, WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE. ALL FOUR OF THE TRANSMISSION SUSPENSION BARS WERE BROKEN WITH OVERLOAD FRACTURES. THE TRANSMISSION CROSS MEMBER (DOG BONE) EXHIBITED AN OVERLOAD SIGNATURE AND A TORSIONAL FRACTURE MID-SPAN. THE ROTOR HUB'S BLADE ATTACHMENT STAR ARMS WERE BROKEN MID-SPAN. ONE PITCH CHANGE ROD EXHIBITED BENDING DAMAGE TO THE ROD MID-SPAN WITH A SIGNATURE OF THE CABLE STRIATION ACROSS THE ROD. THE OTHER ROD WAS SEPARATED AT ITS LOWER CONNECTION. THE REDUCTION GEARBOX INPUT PINION AND SPLINE NUT WERE MISALIGNMENT APPROXIMATELY 1MM, CONSISTENT WITH ENGINE DRIVE DURING AN IMPACT OF THE MAIN ROTOR.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.