# Accident 20190111000189A: Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL, Ponca City, OK, January 11, 2019 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 11, 2019, 11:45 local time - Place: Ponca City, OK - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: EVCA - Location: 36.7253° N, 97.1019° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7253&lon=-97.1019&mi=10 - Aircraft: N346AE, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N346AE-2022-01-24) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL (registry code 8680813, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerospatiale-as350-b2-ecureuil) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-1D1 (registry code 60053, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-1d1) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AEROSPATIALE AS350 B2 ECUREUIL - Reported engine: HONEYWELL LTS-101 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Airline transport - Pilot flight hours: 6,617 total, 5,522 in this make and model, 23 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN19LA068](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA068) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190111000189A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR 91 AS AN AIRCRAFT REPOSITIONING FLIGHT, VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. THE PILOT AND ONE CABIN CREWMEMBER WERE NOT INJURED AS A RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE. THERE WAS NO INDICATIONS OF ANY AIRFRAME OR POWERPLANT ABNORMALITIES NOTED DURING OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ARRIVED AT THE PONCA CITY, OK AIR EVAC BASE 128 AT 07:13 AM. THE WEATHER WAS FORECASTED TO GO BELOW MINIMUMS ABOUT NOON FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS. PILOT STATED THAT HE DECIDED TO RELOCATE THE HELICOPTER FROM THE PONCA CITY HOSPITAL PAD TO THE PONCA CITY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE PILOT STATED THE LOCAL WEATHER WAS 3 MILES (VISIBILITY) AND 900? BROKEN CEILING. PILOT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE COMPANY OPERATIONS CENTER CONCERNING THE TEMPERATURE SHOWING 37.9 DEGREES AND LIGHT RAIN. PILOT STATED THE HE AND OPERATIONS CENTER AND AGREED IT WOULD BE WITHIN COMPANY SAFETY REQUIREMENTS TO COMPLETE THE 2 MILE FLIGHT. THE PILOT STATED THE STARTUP SEQUENCE WAS NORMAL. PILOT STATED THAT THEY SAT RUNNING AT IDLE FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES FOR THE ENGINE OIL TO WARM UP. PILOT STATED THAT HE THEN BROUGHT THE ENGINE UP TO FULL OPERATING RPM AND TURNED ON THE HEAT AND THE DEMISTER. AFTER COMPLETING THE CHALLENGE/RESPONSE CHECKLIST, PILOT DID A HOVER CHECK AND DEPARTED ON A NORTH EAST HEADING. ABOUT HALF WAY TO THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE INCREASED THE DEMISTER BECAUSE BOTH OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELDS WERE FOGGING OVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FLEW STRAIGHT TO THE SOUTH END OF THE AIRPORT AND MADE A RADIO CALL ON UNICOM BEFORE CROSSING THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HOVERED TO THE FRONT OF THE COMPANY HANGER AND TURNED THE HELICOPTER TO FACE NORTH. BY THIS TIME THE RAIN HAD INCREASED, AND THE WINDSHIELD HAD COMPLETELY FOGGED OVER. CREW MEMBER STATED TO HIS PILOT THAT HE WAS GETTING TO CLOSE TO THE HANGER ON THEIR LEFT SIDE. PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS LOOKING OUT THE LEFT CHIN BUBBLE AND HOVERING TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS WATCHING IN FRONT OF OUR FUEL TRAILER WHICH WAS SEVERAL FEET LOWER THAN WHERE I WAS HOVERING. PILOT STATED THAT HE FELT THAT HE WAS AT A HIGH ENOUGH HOVER TO MOVE THE AIRCRAFT SEVERAL FEET TO OUR RIGHT. PILOT STATED THAT THE RIGHT SKID WAS TOO LOW AND CONTACTED THE GROUND WHICH RESULTED IN A DYNAMIC ROLLOVER. IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, LESS THAN 2 SECONDS, THE MAIN ROTOR CONTACTED THE GROUND CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO ROLL OVER ON IT?S RIGHT SIDE AND TURN 45 DEGREES TO THE LEFT. AFTER THE MAIN AND TAIL ROTOR BLADES SHREDDED, LESS THAN 10 SECONDS, PILOT STATED THAT HE CLOSED THE FUEL CONTROL VALVE, FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE, AND TURNED OFF THE BATTERY SWITCH. THE ROTOR BLADES WERE DESTROYED, THE TAIL BOOM TWISTED, AND THE FRONT OF THE LEFT SKID BENT, BUT THE CABIN AREA WAS UNDAMAGED. NOTE: THERE WAS NO ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION OF THIS ACCIDENT DUE TO THE SHUTDOWN OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. ## 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 CEN19LA068](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA068), Jan 11, 2019: Aerospatiale AS350 (N346AE), Ponca City, OK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during the hover operation while his view was obstructed due to the fogged-over windshield. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.