20220719007199A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2+ · Mount Vernon, IL · July 19, 2022

Date: July 19, 2022 · 19:41 local
Place: Mount Vernon, IL
Airport: Mount Vernon
Phase of flight: Taxi
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: EVCA
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N228MT
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN22LA328
Reported as: Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2+
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,306 total

N228MTRegistered now · Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2+S/N 0908 · Built 2010 Airframe modelEurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2+Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2Turbo-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 July 19, 2022 at approximately 1941 CDT N228MT, an EC-135 P2+, sustained substantial damage during landing at Mount Vernon Airport (mvn) in Mount Vernon, Illinois. The aircraft made an initial approach and was hover taxiing to the parking area when a fire extinguisher cover was ingested into the fenestron (tail rotor). The fire extinguisher cover was on a fire extinguisher mounted on a portable fuel tank near the landing area. The downwash from the aircraft's main rotor caused the fire extinguisher cover to come loose and subsequently lifted into the air. The fire extinguisher cover was then ingested into the fenestron causing the fenestron hub to flex. This flexing of the fenestron hub caused the fenestron hub cover to become detached and it was also ingested into the fenestron. The ingestion of the fenestron hub cover was the cause of the substantial damage to the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

ON JULY 19, 2022 AT APPROXIMATELY 1941 CDT N228MT, AN EC-135 P2+, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING LANDING AT MOUNT VERNON AIRPORT (MVN) IN MOUNT VERNON, ILLINOIS. THE AIRCRAFT MADE AN INITIAL APPROACH AND WAS HOVER TAXIING TO THE PARKING AREA WHEN A FIRE EXTINGUISHER COVER WAS INGESTED INTO THE FENESTRON (TAIL ROTOR). THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER COVER WAS ON A FIRE EXTINGUISHER MOUNTED ON A PORTABLE FUEL TANK NEAR THE LANDING AREA. THE DOWNWASH FROM THE AIRCRAFT'S MAIN ROTOR CAUSED THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER COVER TO COME LOOSE AND SUBSEQUENTLY LIFTED INTO THE AIR. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER COVER WAS THEN INGESTED INTO THE FENESTRON CAUSING THE FENESTRON HUB TO FLEX. THIS FLEXING OF THE FENESTRON HUB CAUSED THE FENESTRON HUB COVER TO BECOME DETACHED AND IT WAS ALSO INGESTED INTO THE FENESTRON. THE INGESTION OF THE FENESTRON HUB COVER WAS THE CAUSE OF THE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

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 CEN22LA328Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportMount Vernon, ILThe inadequate securement of the cloth fire extinguisher cover, which resulted in it being blown off the fire extinguisher and ingested into the helicopter’s fenestron during the landing.Jul 20, 2022 · Substantial damage