# Accident 20180311003509A: American Eurocopter Corp AS350B2, New York, NY, March 11, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 11, 2018, 19:08 local time
- Place: New York, NY
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: OEMJ
- Location: 40.7756° N, 73.9400° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7756&lon=-73.9400&mi=10
- Aircraft: N350LH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N350LH-2020-02-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: American Eurocopter AS350B2 (registry code 1145100, https://openairdocs.org/model/american-eurocopter-as350b2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-1D1 (registry code 60053, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-1d1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMERICAN EUROCOPTER CORP AS350B2
- Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 1D1
- People aboard: 6
- Fatal injuries: 5
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,100 total, 1,100 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA18MA099](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18MA099) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180311003509A

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 11, 2018, ABOUT 1908 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AIRBUS HELICOPTERS AS-350 B2; N350LH, OPERATED BY LIBERTY HELICOPTERS INC. UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE WATERS OF THE EAST RIVER IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK, AND ROLLED INVERTED, AFTER THE PILOT REPORTED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER IN FLIGHT, AND SUBSEQUENTLY ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION. THE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND THE FIVE PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE SCHEDULED 30 MINUTE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FLIGHT WHICH DEPARTED FROM HELO KEARNY HELIPORT (65NJ), KEARNY, NEW JERSEY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA18MA099](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18MA099), Mar 11, 2018: American Eurocopter AS350B2 (N350LH), New York, NY, substantial damage, 5 fatal. Probable cause: Liberty Helicopters Inc.'s use of a NYONair-provided passenger harness/tether system, which caught on and activated the floor-mounted engine fuel shutoff lever and resulted in the in-flight loss of…

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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