# Incident 20130626012069I: Eurocopter AS 350 B3, Safford, AZ, June 26, 2013

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 26, 2013, 20:20 local time
- Place: Safford, AZ
- Airport: Safford
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: VE7A
- Location: 32.8548° N, 109.6350° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at Safford Regional Airport (SAD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8548&lon=-109.6350&mi=10
- Aircraft: N973AE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N973AE) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Eurocopter AS 350 B3 (registry code 8680954, https://openairdocs.org/model/eurocopter-as-350-b3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B (registry code 60037, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-2b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: EUROCOPTER AS 350 B3
- Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 8,600 total, 50 in this make and model, 76 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130626012069I

## Narrative

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

PILOT WAS REPOSITIONING AIRCRAFT TO PICK UP MEDICAL CREW WHO HAD WALKED CLOSER TO ACCIDENT SCENE. PILOT BROWNED OUT IN BLOWING DUST AND ABORTED LANDING. UPON RETURNING TO ORIGINAL LANDING ZONE PILOT REPORTED A SLIGHT VIBRATION. ON AIRCRAFT SHUTDOWN, SLIGHT DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO BOTH TAIL ROTOR BLADES. TAIL ROTOR, GEAR BOX AND DRIVE SHAFT WERE REPLACED AND AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO SERVICE.

## Other reports on N973AE (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20060827018919A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060827018919A), Aug 27, 2006: Snias AS350B3 (N973AE), Casa Grande, AZ, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot lifted off to a hover and was preparing to transition into forward flight when the helicopter lost power at approximately ten (10) foot of…

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.

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