What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On July 5, 2018, island express helicopters personnel were preparing four company aircraft for a photo shoot. Two S-76 helicopters, N71EX and N76EX, were parked next to each other on the ramp area at Long Beach Airport. The helicopter parking spaces were marked by large yellow 45 x 35 feet squares. Inside each square was a large yellow ?h? Painted in the middle. The helicopter ground crew believed the helicopter parking spots were marked to give adequate ground clearance for any helicopter parked on the spot.
The two aircraft appeared to be parked FAR enough apart just based upon the distance of the rotor blades when not spinning. However, the rotor blades were drooping down while the aircraft sat in a static condition. When the helicopter engines were both started at approximately the same time and once the rotors started to spin, centrifugal force altered the tip path plane of the rotor arc. With extended tip path planes, there was overlap of the two arcs and the rotor blades made contact.
The crew members heard a popping noise from the blades and shut down the engines of both aircraft. A visual inspection revealed damage to all six of the blade tips. As a result, lgb airport operations was notified and island express helicopters altered their parking plan to no longer park two S-76 aircraft next to each other.
As the FAA filed it
ON JULY 5, 2018, ISLAND EXPRESS HELICOPTERS PERSONNEL WERE PREPARING FOUR COMPANY AIRCRAFT FOR A PHOTO SHOOT. TWO S-76 HELICOPTERS, N71EX AND N76EX, WERE PARKED NEXT TO EACH OTHER ON THE RAMP AREA AT LONG BEACH AIRPORT. THE HELICOPTER PARKING SPACES WERE MARKED BY LARGE YELLOW 45 X 35 FEET SQUARES. INSIDE EACH SQUARE WAS A LARGE YELLOW ?H? PAINTED IN THE MIDDLE. THE HELICOPTER GROUND CREW BELIEVED THE HELICOPTER PARKING SPOTS WERE MARKED TO GIVE ADEQUATE GROUND CLEARANCE FOR ANY HELICOPTER PARKED ON THE SPOT.
THE TWO AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE PARKED FAR ENOUGH APART JUST BASED UPON THE DISTANCE OF THE ROTOR BLADES WHEN NOT SPINNING. HOWEVER, THE ROTOR BLADES WERE DROOPING DOWN WHILE THE AIRCRAFT SAT IN A STATIC CONDITION. WHEN THE HELICOPTER ENGINES WERE BOTH STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME AND ONCE THE ROTORS STARTED TO SPIN, CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ALTERED THE TIP PATH PLANE OF THE ROTOR ARC. WITH EXTENDED TIP PATH PLANES, THERE WAS OVERLAP OF THE TWO ARCS AND THE ROTOR BLADES MADE CONTACT.
THE CREW MEMBERS HEARD A POPPING NOISE FROM THE BLADES AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGINES OF BOTH AIRCRAFT. A VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO ALL SIX OF THE BLADE TIPS. AS A RESULT, LGB AIRPORT OPERATIONS WAS NOTIFIED AND ISLAND EXPRESS HELICOPTERS ALTERED THEIR PARKING PLAN TO NO LONGER PARK TWO S-76 AIRCRAFT NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
Other aircraft in the event · 1
Each aircraft in a collision has its own report.