What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On may 18, 2014, at approximately 1600 (MST), a single pilot Eurocopter AS350B3E helicopter, N840PA, operated by papillon airways inc. (d.b.a. Grand Canyon helicopters) landed without passengers on a ramada landing site, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, near Peach Springs, Arizona.
Witnesses observed the pilot exiting the still running aircraft, the aircraft was observed becoming airborne and then impacting the ground and rolling over onto its right side and sustaining substantial damage.
Michel poppen, a commercial pilot and certificated flight instructor (CFI) was fatally injured.
Wreckage: the aircraft wreckage was found resting on its right side, on a heading of 200 degrees, at the bottom of Grand Canyon West in close proximity to the ramada landing site.
The fuselage sustained substantial damage to the right hand chin bubble and surrounding area. Both main cabin doors were found open. Observed the left main door handle in the open position. Observed the right main door both upper and lower door pins extended and corresponding door handle in the closed position. Noted torsional twisting on the tail boom, between the tail rotor and horizontal stabilizer. Crush type damage was observed at the tail boom to fuselage attach point.
The main rotor assembly exhibited a high power setting type of damage. Noted scarring on the ground in front the helicopter in an arcing pattern, indicating main rotor blade strikes. All three main rotor blades were severely impact damaged.
The engine was still mounted to the helicopter. Drive to the main transmission was lost during the accident sequence at the transmission shaft flex coupling on the main transmission side. The digital engine control unit (decu) and event data recorder (edr) were both removed for further examination.
The collective pitch lever was noted out of the locked position and twist grip was in the ?flight? Position. The pilot's seat belt restraints were observed as un-buckled. The aircraft was equipped with an appareo vision 1000 unit, which was removed by the NTSB iic (patrick jones), for further examination.
Airworthiness: there was no post crash fire and investigation has not revealed any evidence to support a mechanical or airworthiness issue with the airframe or powerplant at this time.
Airman competence: the post-accident investigation revealed through an eyewitness account, that the pilot stepped out of the running helicopter to relieve himself. The helicopter became airborne at which time the pilot attempted to re-enter the aircraft, but was unsuccessful and the aircraft impacted the ground and rolled over.
Report to be amended pending pilot record review and further investigation.
As the FAA filed it
ON MAY 18, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 (MST), A SINGLE PILOT EUROCOPTER AS350B3E HELICOPTER, N840PA, OPERATED BY PAPILLON AIRWAYS INC. (D.B.A. GRAND CANYON HELICOPTERS) LANDED WITHOUT PASSENGERS ON A RAMADA LANDING SITE, LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GRAND CANYON, NEAR PEACH SPRINGS, ARIZONA.
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE PILOT EXITING THE STILL RUNNING AIRCRAFT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED BECOMING AIRBORNE AND THEN IMPACTING THE GROUND AND ROLLING OVER ONTO ITS RIGHT SIDE AND SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
MICHEL POPPEN, A COMMERCIAL PILOT AND CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WAS FATALLY INJURED.
WRECKAGE: THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS FOUND RESTING ON ITS RIGHT SIDE, ON A HEADING OF 200 DEGREES, AT THE BOTTOM OF GRAND CANYON WEST IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE RAMADA LANDING SITE.
THE FUSELAGE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT HAND CHIN BUBBLE AND SURROUNDING AREA. BOTH MAIN CABIN DOORS WERE FOUND OPEN. OBSERVED THE LEFT MAIN DOOR HANDLE IN THE OPEN POSITION. OBSERVED THE RIGHT MAIN DOOR BOTH UPPER AND LOWER DOOR PINS EXTENDED AND CORRESPONDING DOOR HANDLE IN THE CLOSED POSITION. NOTED TORSIONAL TWISTING ON THE TAIL BOOM, BETWEEN THE TAIL ROTOR AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. CRUSH TYPE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AT THE TAIL BOOM TO FUSELAGE ATTACH POINT.
THE MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY EXHIBITED A HIGH POWER SETTING TYPE OF DAMAGE. NOTED SCARRING ON THE GROUND IN FRONT THE HELICOPTER IN AN ARCING PATTERN, INDICATING MAIN ROTOR BLADE STRIKES. ALL THREE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE SEVERELY IMPACT DAMAGED.
THE ENGINE WAS STILL MOUNTED TO THE HELICOPTER. DRIVE TO THE MAIN TRANSMISSION WAS LOST DURING THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE AT THE TRANSMISSION SHAFT FLEX COUPLING ON THE MAIN TRANSMISSION SIDE. THE DIGITAL ENGINE CONTROL UNIT (DECU) AND EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR) WERE BOTH REMOVED FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION.
THE COLLECTIVE PITCH LEVER WAS NOTED OUT OF THE LOCKED POSITION AND TWIST GRIP WAS IN THE ?FLIGHT? POSITION. THE PILOT'S SEAT BELT RESTRAINTS WERE OBSERVED AS UN-BUCKLED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN APPAREO VISION 1000 UNIT, WHICH WAS REMOVED BY THE NTSB IIC (PATRICK JONES), FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION.
AIRWORTHINESS: THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE AND INVESTIGATION HAS NOT REVEALED ANY EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT A MECHANICAL OR AIRWORTHINESS ISSUE WITH THE AIRFRAME OR POWERPLANT AT THIS TIME.
AIRMAN COMPETENCE: THE POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THROUGH AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT, THAT THE PILOT STEPPED OUT OF THE RUNNING HELICOPTER TO RELIEVE HIMSELF. THE HELICOPTER BECAME AIRBORNE AT WHICH TIME THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RE-ENTER THE AIRCRAFT, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND ROLLED OVER.
REPORT TO BE AMENDED PENDING PILOT RECORD REVIEW AND FURTHER INVESTIGATION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.