What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On February 15, 2021, at or about 1514 atlantic standard time, N13AT was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near botany bay st. thomas, U.S. Virgin islands. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as 14 code of federal regulations part 91 sightseeing.
Video evidence was provided to the NTSB by a witness located at the peak of a steep hill. The recording revealed that the helicopter was flying towards the witness in a straight and level flight attitude. After about six seconds from the start of the recording a black cloud of smoke emanated from the engine compartment and quickly dissipated with the rotor wash. At the same time, the helicopter nose yawed abruptly to the left and then shortly after yawed to the right and descended in a right hand turn until it disappeared downhill from the witness view.
The accident site was located in a densely wooded steep terrain with an approximate diameter of 75 feet. The helicopter came to rest upright and was destroyed by post impact fire. The cockpit, cabin, flight controls, hydraulic system, main rotor system were damage by fire. The engine gearbox assembly was consumed by fire. The compressor and turbine sections were still connected by the coupling shaft. A portion of the tail boom with the horizontal stabilizer was found upright attached to a tree branch and the tail rotor and vertical stabilizer were found separated from the rest of the tail boom. The vertical stabilizer, gearbox and two blades were still attached with no noticeable pre-impact failure.
Based on evidence gathered by the NTSB, engine case showed no evidence of uncontained failure. The first and second stage compressor blades had no evidence of foreign object debris (FOD) ingestion. Two blades from the third stage compressor wheel had fractured near their respective root ends and were not present. The remainder of the third stage compressor blades were present but exhibited damage primarily on their trailing edges. For the fourth, fifth, and six stage compressor wheels, all blades were fractured near their root ends and were not present.
FAA ASI privacy data omitted investigated the accident scene.
As the FAA filed it
ON FEBRUARY 15, 2021, AT OR ABOUT 1514 ATLANTIC STANDARD TIME, N13AT WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR BOTANY BAY ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS OPERATED AS 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 SIGHTSEEING.
VIDEO EVIDENCE WAS PROVIDED TO THE NTSB BY A WITNESS LOCATED AT THE PEAK OF A STEEP HILL. THE RECORDING REVEALED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS FLYING TOWARDS THE WITNESS IN A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE. AFTER ABOUT SIX SECONDS FROM THE START OF THE RECORDING A BLACK CLOUD OF SMOKE EMANATED FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND QUICKLY DISSIPATED WITH THE ROTOR WASH. AT THE SAME TIME, THE HELICOPTER NOSE YAWED ABRUPTLY TO THE LEFT AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER YAWED TO THE RIGHT AND DESCENDED IN A RIGHT HAND TURN UNTIL IT DISAPPEARED DOWNHILL FROM THE WITNESS VIEW.
THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED IN A DENSELY WOODED STEEP TERRAIN WITH AN APPROXIMATE DIAMETER OF 75 FEET. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST UPRIGHT AND WAS DESTROYED BY POST IMPACT FIRE. THE COCKPIT, CABIN, FLIGHT CONTROLS, HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM WERE DAMAGE BY FIRE. THE ENGINE GEARBOX ASSEMBLY WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE COMPRESSOR AND TURBINE SECTIONS WERE STILL CONNECTED BY THE COUPLING SHAFT. A PORTION OF THE TAIL BOOM WITH THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER WAS FOUND UPRIGHT ATTACHED TO A TREE BRANCH AND THE TAIL ROTOR AND VERTICAL STABILIZER WERE FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE TAIL BOOM. THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, GEARBOX AND TWO BLADES WERE STILL ATTACHED WITH NO NOTICEABLE PRE-IMPACT FAILURE.
BASED ON EVIDENCE GATHERED BY THE NTSB, ENGINE CASE SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF UNCONTAINED FAILURE. THE FIRST AND SECOND STAGE COMPRESSOR BLADES HAD NO EVIDENCE OF FOREIGN OBJECT DEBRIS (FOD) INGESTION. TWO BLADES FROM THE THIRD STAGE COMPRESSOR WHEEL HAD FRACTURED NEAR THEIR RESPECTIVE ROOT ENDS AND WERE NOT PRESENT. THE REMAINDER OF THE THIRD STAGE COMPRESSOR BLADES WERE PRESENT BUT EXHIBITED DAMAGE PRIMARILY ON THEIR TRAILING EDGES. FOR THE FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIX STAGE COMPRESSOR WHEELS, ALL BLADES WERE FRACTURED NEAR THEIR ROOT ENDS AND WERE NOT PRESENT.
FAA ASI ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INVESTIGATED THE ACCIDENT SCENE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.