20150512023719I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · American Eurocopter AS350B3 · Mesa, AZ · May 12, 2015

Date: May 12, 2015 · 01:30 local
Place: Mesa, AZ
Airport: Williams Gateway
Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: VE7A
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N386P
Reported as: American Eurocopter AS350B3
Reported engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-2D
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,112 total925 in this make and model55 in the last 90 days

N386PRegistered now · American Eurocopter AS350B3S/N 7638 · Built 2013 Airframe modelAmerican Eurocopter AS350B3 Engine modelTurbomeca ARRIEL-2DTurbo-shaft

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Crew was conducting hover/autorotation training. Trainer briefed manuever and conducted a total of three hover/autorotation events. Hover was established into the wind at a height of 3 ft. first event landing was stated as firm but not classified as a hard landing. Crew then performed two additional hover/autorotations with no issues noted. Aircraft was shut down for crew swap. Pilot in command during his post flight walk around noticed evidence of paint cracking in tail-boom attachment point area. Maintenance was contacted and aircraft was taken out of service.

As the FAA filed it

CREW WAS CONDUCTING HOVER/AUTOROTATION TRAINING. TRAINER BRIEFED MANUEVER AND CONDUCTED A TOTAL OF THREE HOVER/AUTOROTATION EVENTS. HOVER WAS ESTABLISHED INTO THE WIND AT A HEIGHT OF 3 FT. FIRST EVENT LANDING WAS STATED AS FIRM BUT NOT CLASSIFIED AS A HARD LANDING. CREW THEN PERFORMED TWO ADDITIONAL HOVER/AUTOROTATIONS WITH NO ISSUES NOTED. AIRCRAFT WAS SHUT DOWN FOR CREW SWAP. PILOT IN COMMAND DURING HIS POST FLIGHT WALK AROUND NOTICED EVIDENCE OF PAINT CRACKING IN TAIL-BOOM ATTACHMENT POINT AREA. MAINTENANCE WAS CONTACTED AND AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE.