# Incident 20140504008879I: Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BK 117 A-4, Boston, NY, May 4, 2014

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 4, 2014, 18:10 local time
- Place: Boston, NY
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: M7FA
- Location: 42.6947° N, 78.7736° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.6947&lon=-78.7736&mi=10
- Aircraft: N504TJ (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM BK 117 A-4
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA14LA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA223) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140504008879I

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 4, 2014 AT APPROXIMATELY 1800 EDT MERCY FLIGHT OF WESTERN NEW YORK HELICOPTER N504TJ, AN MBB BK 117-A4, MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A BASEBALL FIELD IN BOSTON, NY AFTER THE LEFT SLIDER DOOR FELL OFF THE HELICOPTER DAMAGING THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY AND NO ONE ON THE GROUND WAS INJURED. THERE WERE 3 PERSONS ON BOARD AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, PILOT, PARAMEDIC, AND FLIGHT NURSE. ATC WAS NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY AND THE FSDO RECEIVED NOTIFICATION THE MORNING OF 5/5/2014 BY ATC AND THE OPERATOR.

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FACTUAL: THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON ITS WAY BACK TO THE MERCY FLIGHT OLEAN, NY BASE AFTER DROPPING A PATIENT OFF AT THE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL IN BUFFALO, NY. SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING THE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL AND AT CRUISE SPEED, THE FLIGHT NURSE, LOCATED IN THE LEFT AFT-FACING CABIN SEAT (SEAT # 3), NOTICED THE LEFT CABIN SLIDING DOOR STARTED TO OPEN. THE FLIGHT NURSE NOTIFIED THE PILOT AND ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN REDUCING THE SPEED OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PARAMEDIC IN THE LEFT SIDE COCKPIT SEAT REACHED BACK TO TRY AND HELP THE FLIGHT NURSE CLOSE THE DOOR. THE LEFT CABIN SLIDING DOOR?S LOWER GUIDE ASSEMBLIES SEPARATED FROM THE LOWER RAIL, THEN THE DOOR ASSEMBLY SWUNG UPWARD AND SEPARATED FROM THE UPPER RAIL DEPARTING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE DOOR THEN CONTACTED ALL FOUR MAIN ROTOR BLADES. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN AND LANDED IN THE BASEBALL FIELD BELOW. THE DOOR WAS RECOVERED FROM A NEARBY CREEK THAT SAME EVENING IN SEVERAL PIECES. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE REMOVED ONSITE AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED ONTO A LOWBOY/FLATBED TRUCK BY CRANE AND TRANSPORTED TO MERCY FLIGHT'S MAIN BASE AT THE BUFFALO AIRPORT THAT SAME EVENING.

THE AIRCRAFT HAS DAMAGE TO THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WHICH ARE BEING SHIPPED OUT FOR EVALUATION. THERE IS ALSO DAMAGE TO THE UPPER RAIL ON THE FUSELAGE THAT THE DOOR SLIDES ON, THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE IS STILL BEING EVALUATED AT THIS TIME. THE DOOR IS DESTROYED. NO OTHER PART OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONTACTED BY THE DOOR.

THE WEATHER ON MAY 4, 2014 FROM 1800 TO 2200 EDT FOR THE BUFFALO, NY AREA WAS WIND 210 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS, GREATER THAN 6 MILES OF VISIBILITY, BROKEN CEILING AT 6000 FEET.

AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE AIRCRAFT HAD APPROXIMATELY 11735.2 HOURS TOTAL TIME.

THIS INSPECTOR HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH NTSB AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATOR MR. ERIC ALLEYNE. THE NTSB INCIDENT NUMBER IS ERA14LA223.

## 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 ERA14LA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA223), May 4, 2014: Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BK 117 (N504TJ), Hamburg, NY, substantial damage. Probable cause: Wear in the left cabin door assembly parts, which resulted in the door partially opening in flight, dislodging from the lower door track assembly, and then separating from the helicopter.

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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