# Accident 20190327002069A: Eurocopter AS 350 B3, Montogomery, TX, March 27, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 27, 2019, 14:06 local time
- Place: Montogomery, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: MHHA
- Location: 30.5103° N, 95.7708° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.5103&lon=-95.7708&mi=10
- Aircraft: N818MC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N818MC-2021-12-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Eurocopter AS 350 B3 (registry code 8680954, https://openairdocs.org/model/eurocopter-as-350-b3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B1 (registry code 60056, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-2b1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: EUROCOPTER AS 350 B3
- Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2B1
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN19FA109](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA109) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190327002069A

## Narrative

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

N818MC FLIGHT WITH 01 PILOT AND 02 FORESTRY SERVICE PASSENGERS ONBOARD ORIGINATED FROM HUNTSVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KUTS), HUNTSVILLE, TX, WITH A DESTINATION OF SAM HOUSTON NATIONAL FOREST.  AIRCRAFT WAS PARTICIPATING IN A CONTROLLED BURN OPERATION WITH THE NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE.  AFTER APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS OF FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS MANEUVERING AND LOST POWER AT AN ALTITUDE OF 100 FEET, WHICH WAS ABOUT FORTY FEET ABOVE THE TREE TOPS.  AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE TREES AND CAME TO REST ON ITS RIGHT SIDE SUSTAINING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.  DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND POWERTRAIN INDICATES EVIDENCE OF LOSS OF POWER/LOW MAIN ROTOR RPM.  EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT LED TO DISCOVERY OF THE ENGINE MAIN FUEL SUPPLY LINE FROM THE ENGINE TO THE FIREWALL TO BE LOOSE AT THE FIREWALL.  THE MAIN FUEL LINE B-NUT AT THE FIREWALL WAS ABLE TO BE TURNED BY HAND AND HAD NO SAFETYWIRE PRESENT.

## 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 CEN19FA109](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA109), Mar 27, 2019: Aerospatiale AS350 (N818MC), Montgomery, TX, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Maintenance personnel's failure to properly re-install and secure a fuel line, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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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