What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
A company mechanic who was run qualified by air evac was conducting an after maintenance run up check of the aircraft on the ramp outside the hangar. Weather at the time was VFR and dry at dvk. Two other mechanics were sitting in the back, half in and partially outside the helicopter conducting the maintenance checks. During the run up the aircraft suddenly came off the ground, went approximately 10 feet in the air and came back down, landing hard on forward part of skids, bounced and hit hard on left front skid, then spun around to the left on the ground a little over 1 1/2 times before coming to a stop. During this time the two mechanics in the back of the helicopter either fell or jumped out of opposite sides and the aircraft almost landed on one of them hitting him in the back and injured the heel of the other and both of them were narrowly missed being struck by the tail rotor when they scrambled to get out of the way. The run up mechanic and the mechanic with the injuried foot were transported to the local hospital where the run up mechanic was drug tested and the other one was treated for a foot injury. The third mechanic did not go to the hospital. The aircraft sustained a hard landing, bending the forward cross tube and displacing the aircraft out of the fwd. Cross tube saddles to the left on the cross tube springing the skid gear. The FAA has requested and are awaiting on the air evac safety department's report, analysis of the incident, determining the root cause and their corrective actions.
As the FAA filed it
A COMPANY MECHANIC WHO WAS RUN QUALIFIED BY AIR EVAC WAS CONDUCTING AN AFTER MAINTENANCE RUN UP CHECK OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RAMP OUTSIDE THE HANGAR. WEATHER AT THE TIME WAS VFR AND DRY AT DVK. TWO OTHER MECHANICS WERE SITTING IN THE BACK, HALF IN AND PARTIALLY OUTSIDE THE HELICOPTER CONDUCTING THE MAINTENANCE CHECKS. DURING THE RUN UP THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY CAME OFF THE GROUND, WENT APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET IN THE AIR AND CAME BACK DOWN, LANDING HARD ON FORWARD PART OF SKIDS, BOUNCED AND HIT HARD ON LEFT FRONT SKID, THEN SPUN AROUND TO THE LEFT ON THE GROUND A LITTLE OVER 1 1/2 TIMES BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. DURING THIS TIME THE TWO MECHANICS IN THE BACK OF THE HELICOPTER EITHER FELL OR JUMPED OUT OF OPPOSITE SIDES AND THE AIRCRAFT ALMOST LANDED ON ONE OF THEM HITTING HIM IN THE BACK AND INJURED THE HEEL OF THE OTHER AND BOTH OF THEM WERE NARROWLY MISSED BEING STRUCK BY THE TAIL ROTOR WHEN THEY SCRAMBLED TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. THE RUN UP MECHANIC AND THE MECHANIC WITH THE INJURIED FOOT WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE LOCAL HOSPITAL WHERE THE RUN UP MECHANIC WAS DRUG TESTED AND THE OTHER ONE WAS TREATED FOR A FOOT INJURY. THE THIRD MECHANIC DID NOT GO TO THE HOSPITAL. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED A HARD LANDING, BENDING THE FORWARD CROSS TUBE AND DISPLACING THE AIRCRAFT OUT OF THE FWD. CROSS TUBE SADDLES TO THE LEFT ON THE CROSS TUBE SPRINGING THE SKID GEAR. THE FAA HAS REQUESTED AND ARE AWAITING ON THE AIR EVAC SAFETY DEPARTMENT'S REPORT, ANALYSIS OF THE INCIDENT, DETERMINING THE ROOT CAUSE AND THEIR CORRECTIVE ACTIONS.
Other reports on N43AE · 1
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