20130118001779I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Bell 430 · Kahului, HI · January 18, 2013

Date
January 18, 2013 · 20:24 local
Place
Kahului, HI
Airport
Kahului International
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
DBZA
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N25CL
Reported as
Bell 430
Reported engine
Rolls-Royce 250-C40B
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
7,938 total13 in this make and model3 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.

After encountering turbulence at mcgregor point (maui) on the way to lanai airport (hwaii) the auto pilot disengaged and the pilot lost airspeed light and other instrument lights. After the pilot took over the control of the aircraft, he found himself in a unusual descending attitude and had lost a 1000 feet of altitude. During the initial recovery from this unusual attitude, the pilot overtorqued the aircraft then recovered and decided to proceed on his mission. He preceded to pick up his patient in lanai, landed over there and then took off from lanai in the now unairworthy aircraft to return to maui with his medical crew and patient on board. It was discovered the next day that the overspeed had exceeded tolerence and an inspection of the aircraft had to be performed.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER ENCOUNTERING TURBULENCE AT MCGREGOR POINT (MAUI) ON THE WAY TO LANAI AIRPORT (HWAII) THE AUTO PILOT DISENGAGED AND THE PILOT LOST AIRSPEED LIGHT AND OTHER INSTRUMENT LIGHTS. AFTER THE PILOT TOOK OVER THE CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, HE FOUND HIMSELF IN A UNUSUAL DESCENDING ATTITUDE AND HAD LOST A 1000 FEET OF ALTITUDE. DURING THE INITIAL RECOVERY FROM THIS UNUSUAL ATTITUDE, THE PILOT OVERTORQUED THE AIRCRAFT THEN RECOVERED AND DECIDED TO PROCEED ON HIS MISSION. HE PRECEDED TO PICK UP HIS PATIENT IN LANAI, LANDED OVER THERE AND THEN TOOK OFF FROM LANAI IN THE NOW UNAIRWORTHY AIRCRAFT TO RETURN TO MAUI WITH HIS MEDICAL CREW AND PATIENT ON BOARD. IT WAS DISCOVERED THE NEXT DAY THAT THE OVERSPEED HAD EXCEEDED TOLERENCE AND AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT HAD TO BE PERFORMED.