# Incident 20150105000069I: Eurocopter EC 130 B4, West Point, MS, January 5, 2015

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 5, 2015, 01:09 local time
- Place: West Point, MS
- Airport: Hospital Wing
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: JPBA
- Location: 33.6062° N, 88.6576° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of West Point, MS, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6062&lon=-88.6576&mi=10
- Aircraft: N859HW, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N859HW) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Eurocopter EC 130 B4 (registry code 8680989, https://openairdocs.org/model/eurocopter-ec-130-b4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B1 (registry code 60056, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-2b1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: EUROCOPTER EC 130 B4
- Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2B1
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150105000069I

## Narrative

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

STARBOARD (RH FLAP DOOR) AFT CABIN DOOR POPPED OPEN INFLIGHT AND IMPACTED THE STARBOARD CARGO DOOR AND SURROUNDING FUSELAGE AREA BREAKING THE PLEXIGLAS WINDOW.

ON JANUARY 8, 2015, HOSPITAL WING N859HW, AN EC-130-B4 WAS PERFORMING A PEDIA-FLIGHT TRANSFER FROM WEST POINT, MISSISSIPPI TO MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. SOMETIME DURING THE TRANSIT, A FLIGHT NURSE STATED THAT SHE FELT COOL RUSHING AIR STRIKING HER FACE WHERE UPON SHE INVESTIGATED AND NOTICED THE RH FLAP DOOR (PART NUMBER: C521C2101053, SERIAL NUMBER: TB5452) WAS OPEN ABOUT (3) INCHES AT THE TOP. SHE NOTIFIED THE PILOT OF THE SITUATION AND HE IMMEDIATELY SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT DOWN AND INITIATED A DECENT FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A SAFE SUITABLE LANDING ZONE. SHORTLY AFTER PILOT INITIATED EMERGENCY DESCENT, THE RH FLAP DOOR POPPED OPEN INFLIGHT AND IMPACTED THE SKID AND PUSHED IT WAY PAST THE STARBOARD SKID WHERE IT IMPACTED THE STARBOARD CARGO DOOR AND SURROUNDING FUSELAGE AREA. UPON IMPACT WITH THE STARBOARD CARGO DOOR FORWARD HINGE, THE PLEXIGLAS WINDOW SHATTERED. THE PILOT CONTINUED TO DESCEND AND MADE A SAFE LANDING IN FIELD NEAR A LOCAL ROAD.

THE PILOT NOTIFIED HOSPITAL WING DISPATCH OF THE CURRENT SITUATION WHEREUPON ANOTHER HELICOPTER WAS DISPATCHED WITH MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL ONBOARD TO RECOVER THE DISABLED AIRCRAFT. THE PATIENT WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE RECOVERY AIRCRAFT ALONG WITH THE ORIGINAL CREW AND THE PEDI-FLIGHT CONTINUED ONTO ITS DESTINATION. THE MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND MADE THE DETERMINATION THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ?SAFE FOR FLIGHT? AND THE DISABLED AIRCRAFT WAS REPOSITIONED TO HOSPITAL WING MAIN BASE OF OPERATIONS AT (2TN0) EASTMORELAND AVENUE IN MEMPHIS, TN.

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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