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20210525004029A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Bhi H60 Helicopters UH-60A · Leesburg, FL · May 25, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 25, 2021 · 16:47 local
Place
Leesburg, FL
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Operating rules
Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Operator
JSDA
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N9FH
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA21FA233
Reported as
Bhi H60 Helicopters UH-60A
Reported engine
GE T700-GE-700
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
4
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,250 total
N9FHRegistered now · Bhi H60 Helicopters UH-60AS/N 80-23461 · Built 1981Airframe modelBhi H60 Helicopters UH-60AEngine modelGE T700-GE-700Turbo-shaft

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On may 25, 2020, N9FH, an UH-60 crashed at Leesburg international airport at approximately 1647 EST. The helicopter was conducting training extracting water from lake harris and deliver/dump that water onto a fire as part of the exercise. In addition to the exercise the crew were calibrating the doors due to an installation of a new water dumping system. N9FH had just dumped a load of water onto a previously designated target site and was headed for the lake just south of the lee airport when personnel on the ground noticed that hose and snorkel started to swivel. Personnel on the ground contacted klee ATC to relayed a message to the crew about returning back to base when the snorkel swivel and hit the helicopter's main rotor. As a result, the helicopter crew lost all control and the helicopter started to spin around. The force of the spin caused the tail boom to separate and crashing east of runway 31 on a dense swamped wooded area. An explosion was noticed engulfing the helicopter on fire. All crewmembers died in the crash.

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 25, 2020, N9FH, AN UH-60 CRASHED AT LEESBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 1647 EST. THE HELICOPTER WAS CONDUCTING TRAINING EXTRACTING WATER FROM LAKE HARRIS AND DELIVER/DUMP THAT WATER ONTO A FIRE AS PART OF THE EXERCISE. IN ADDITION TO THE EXERCISE THE CREW WERE CALIBRATING THE DOORS DUE TO AN INSTALLATION OF A NEW WATER DUMPING SYSTEM. N9FH HAD JUST DUMPED A LOAD OF WATER ONTO A PREVIOUSLY DESIGNATED TARGET SITE AND WAS HEADED FOR THE LAKE JUST SOUTH OF THE LEE AIRPORT WHEN PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND NOTICED THAT HOSE AND SNORKEL STARTED TO SWIVEL. PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND CONTACTED KLEE ATC TO RELAYED A MESSAGE TO THE CREW ABOUT RETURNING BACK TO BASE WHEN THE SNORKEL SWIVEL AND HIT THE HELICOPTER'S MAIN ROTOR. AS A RESULT, THE HELICOPTER CREW LOST ALL CONTROL AND THE HELICOPTER STARTED TO SPIN AROUND. THE FORCE OF THE SPIN CAUSED THE TAIL BOOM TO SEPARATE AND CRASHING EAST OF RUNWAY 31 ON A DENSE SWAMPED WOODED AREA. AN EXPLOSION WAS NOTICED ENGULFING THE HELICOPTER ON FIRE. ALL CREWMEMBERS DIED IN THE CRASH.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA21FA233Accident · 4 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportLeesburg, FLThe failure of the water tank snorkel support structure, which allowed the snorkel to contact the main rotor blades. Contributing to the accident was insufficient Federal Aviation Administration oversight of the supplemental type certificate process for the…May 25, 2021 · Destroyed