20170716011809I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Bell 407 · Dubois, WY · July 16, 2017

Date: July 16, 2017 · 15:00 local
Place: Dubois, WY
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: JAPA
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N407FC
Reported as: Bell 407
Reported engine: Allison 250 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,180 total550 in this make and model21 in the last 90 days

N407FCRegistered now · Bell 407S/N 53050 · Built 1996 Airframe modelBell 407 Engine modelAllison 250 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

While repositioning the EMS helicopter during a medical emergency to a new landing zone the helicopter?s tail rotor struck a rock. The pilot continued to a new location a few feet away and landed the aircraft. During the failed attempt the pilot had a ground crew member assisting as a ground guide. The helicopter sustained damage to the tail rotor, tail boom, horizontal elevator, main rotor blades, tail rotor and main rotor gear boxes.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE REPOSITIONING THE EMS HELICOPTER DURING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY TO A NEW LANDING ZONE THE HELICOPTER?S TAIL ROTOR STRUCK A ROCK. THE PILOT CONTINUED TO A NEW LOCATION A FEW FEET AWAY AND LANDED THE AIRCRAFT. DURING THE FAILED ATTEMPT THE PILOT HAD A GROUND CREW MEMBER ASSISTING AS A GROUND GUIDE. THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE TAIL ROTOR, TAIL BOOM, HORIZONTAL ELEVATOR, MAIN ROTOR BLADES, TAIL ROTOR AND MAIN ROTOR GEAR BOXES.