# Accident 20140518013419A: American Eurocopter Corp AS350B3, Peach Springs, AZ, May 18, 2014 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 18, 2014, 16:00 local time - Place: Peach Springs, AZ - Airport: Grand Canyon West - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma - Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135) - Operator: PG9A - Location: 35.9925° N, 113.7811° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.9925&lon=-113.7811&mi=10 - Aircraft: N840PA (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: AMERICAN EUROCOPTER CORP AS350B3 - Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2D - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor - Pilot flight hours: 100 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR14FA195](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA195) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140518013419A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. 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. ## 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 WPR14FA195](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA195), May 18, 2014: American Eurocopter AS350B3 (N840PA), Peach Springs, AZ, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to exit the helicopter while it was running and his failure to properly secure the flight controls with the engine operating at flight idle before exiting 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.