# Accident 20181030021189A: Aerospatiale AS 355F2, Beekmantown, NY, October 30, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 30, 2018, 16:00 local time
- Place: Beekmantown, NY
- Airport: Platsburgh
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Location: 44.7442° N, 73.4392° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.7442&lon=-73.4392&mi=10
- Aircraft: N372CA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N372CA-2019-11-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerospatiale AS 355F2 (registry code 8680825, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerospatiale-as-355f2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C20 series (registry code 03020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c20-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AEROSPATIALE AS 355F2
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250-C20 SER
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA19FA035](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19FA035) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181030021189A

## Narrative

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

ON 10/30/2018 AT APPROXIMATELY 1630 N372CA AN AEROSPATIALE AS355F2 OPERATOR WHILE PERFORMING POWERLINE INSPECTION/REPAIR OPERATIONS WITH FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD CONTACTED POWERLINES RESULTING IN MAIN ROTORBLADE CONTACT WITH UTILITY POLE. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME ENTANGLED WITHIN POWERLINES AND CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS DESTROYED. ALL FOUR INDIVIDUALS EXITED AIRCRAFT FROM A HEIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY 50'. TWO INDIVIDUALS WERE FATALLY INJURED AND TWO WERE TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES.

## 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 ERA19FA035](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19FA035), Oct 30, 2018: Aerospatiale AS 355F2 (N372CA), Beekmantown, NY, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to keep the helicopter clear of a utility pole while hovering with a tailwind, which resulted in a dynamic rollover into active power lines.

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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