What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Helicopter was on a positioning flight from the operator?s main base at geu in glendale AZ to fhu sierra vista municipal airport when it impacted the ground 6.5 miles west of Benson, AZ, and 0.4 miles south of I-10. Initial impact signatures indicated a heading of approximately 180 degrees in level or slightly nose down attitude into gradually raising terrain. There wreckage site was approximately 175 feet long beginning with a ground scare leading to a landing gear skid that was butted up against the trunk of a mesquite tree that was severed. A second mesquite tree had wreckage including the mast head, rotor hub, transmission, rotor controls, and the pilot section of the fuselage section wrapped around it. The engine and aft portion of the fuselage were found up against a third mesquite tree. Nothing was identified during the wreckage examination that would have precluded normal airframe and engine operation. The elevation was 4270 feet MSL.
Witness who live ½ mile from the accident site and ¼ mile from the flight path indicated by the trajectory of the wreckage and ground scaring, said they heard the helicopter fly over low, fast and loud at about 17:15. They had been outside just prior to hearing the helicopter and looked out the window after it flew over. They said it was dusk, with low clouds and that the visibility was poor, but that it did not start to snow until a few hours after the accident. They thought they helicoper had circled in the area. Another witness, a neighbor, was outside when he heard a helicopter but could not see it. This witness, who said he has hearing loss in one ear, described it as loud and believed he heard it circle. The witness did not report a crash.
The chief pilot and director of operations for the operator said that the operational control is delegated to the pilot who only gives them a ?color? Communication of readiness for the days flights and the pilot had indicated ?green.? The operator did not know what weather sources that had actually been used by the pilot in determining that the flight could be conducted under VFR weather conditions. The pilot was instrument rated but not current. The aircraft was not equipped for IFR flight. The chief pilot was following the flight on using sky connect aircraft tracking system and that system, which reports every two minutes. That system indicated a course reversal with altitude gain and speed loss sometime in the last 2 minutes of flight, prior to reporting the aircraft on the ground and not moving.
The passenger was a company mechanic onboard to perform a required torque check after the flight. He was a pilot but not a pilot for the company. The helicopter was configured for one pilot flying from the right seat.
As the FAA filed it
HELICOPTER WAS ON A POSITIONING FLIGHT FROM THE OPERATOR?S MAIN BASE AT GEU IN GLENDALE AZ TO FHU SIERRA VISTA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND 6.5 MILES WEST OF BENSON, AZ, AND 0.4 MILES SOUTH OF I-10. INITIAL IMPACT SIGNATURES INDICATED A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES IN LEVEL OR SLIGHTLY NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE INTO GRADUALLY RAISING TERRAIN. THERE WRECKAGE SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 175 FEET LONG BEGINNING WITH A GROUND SCARE LEADING TO A LANDING GEAR SKID THAT WAS BUTTED UP AGAINST THE TRUNK OF A MESQUITE TREE THAT WAS SEVERED. A SECOND MESQUITE TREE HAD WRECKAGE INCLUDING THE MAST HEAD, ROTOR HUB, TRANSMISSION, ROTOR CONTROLS, AND THE PILOT SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE SECTION WRAPPED AROUND IT. THE ENGINE AND AFT PORTION OF THE FUSELAGE WERE FOUND UP AGAINST A THIRD MESQUITE TREE. NOTHING WAS IDENTIFIED DURING THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION THAT WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED NORMAL AIRFRAME AND ENGINE OPERATION. THE ELEVATION WAS 4270 FEET MSL.
WITNESS WHO LIVE ½ MILE FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE AND ¼ MILE FROM THE FLIGHT PATH INDICATED BY THE TRAJECTORY OF THE WRECKAGE AND GROUND SCARING, SAID THEY HEARD THE HELICOPTER FLY OVER LOW, FAST AND LOUD AT ABOUT 17:15. THEY HAD BEEN OUTSIDE JUST PRIOR TO HEARING THE HELICOPTER AND LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AFTER IT FLEW OVER. THEY SAID IT WAS DUSK, WITH LOW CLOUDS AND THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS POOR, BUT THAT IT DID NOT START TO SNOW UNTIL A FEW HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THEY THOUGHT THEY HELICOPER HAD CIRCLED IN THE AREA. ANOTHER WITNESS, A NEIGHBOR, WAS OUTSIDE WHEN HE HEARD A HELICOPTER BUT COULD NOT SEE IT. THIS WITNESS, WHO SAID HE HAS HEARING LOSS IN ONE EAR, DESCRIBED IT AS LOUD AND BELIEVED HE HEARD IT CIRCLE. THE WITNESS DID NOT REPORT A CRASH.
THE CHIEF PILOT AND DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR THE OPERATOR SAID THAT THE OPERATIONAL CONTROL IS DELEGATED TO THE PILOT WHO ONLY GIVES THEM A ?COLOR? COMMUNICATION OF READINESS FOR THE DAYS FLIGHTS AND THE PILOT HAD INDICATED ?GREEN.? THE OPERATOR DID NOT KNOW WHAT WEATHER SOURCES THAT HAD ACTUALLY BEEN USED BY THE PILOT IN DETERMINING THAT THE FLIGHT COULD BE CONDUCTED UNDER VFR WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE PILOT WAS INSTRUMENT RATED BUT NOT CURRENT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED FOR IFR FLIGHT. THE CHIEF PILOT WAS FOLLOWING THE FLIGHT ON USING SKY CONNECT AIRCRAFT TRACKING SYSTEM AND THAT SYSTEM, WHICH REPORTS EVERY TWO MINUTES. THAT SYSTEM INDICATED A COURSE REVERSAL WITH ALTITUDE GAIN AND SPEED LOSS SOMETIME IN THE LAST 2 MINUTES OF FLIGHT, PRIOR TO REPORTING THE AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND AND NOT MOVING.
THE PASSENGER WAS A COMPANY MECHANIC ONBOARD TO PERFORM A REQUIRED TORQUE CHECK AFTER THE FLIGHT. HE WAS A PILOT BUT NOT A PILOT FOR THE COMPANY. THE HELICOPTER WAS CONFIGURED FOR ONE PILOT FLYING FROM THE RIGHT SEAT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.