# Accident 20221227021089A: Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2, Boulder City, NV, December 27, 2022

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 27, 2022, 16:35 local time
- Place: Boulder City, NV
- Airport: Boulder City Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: PG9A
- Location: 35.9472° N, 114.8562° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.9472&lon=-114.8562&mi=10
- Aircraft: N835GC, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N835GC) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2 (registry code 1145302, https://openairdocs.org/model/airbus-helicopters-ec-130-t2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-2D (registry code 60080, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-2d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS EC 130 T2
- Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2D
- People aboard: 7
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 7
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR23LA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA078) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20221227021089A

## Narrative

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

ON DECEMBER 27, 2022, AT APPROXIMATELY 0301 UTC (1901 PDT), AN AIRBUS EC130 T2 AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TERRAIN ADJACENT TO A TAXIWAY AT THE BOULDER CITY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT IN BOULDER CITY, NEVADA, (BVU).

THE HELICOPTER, WAS RETURNING FROM THE GRAND CANYON, ON A PART 135 TOUR FLIGHT AND WAS ON FINAL APPROACH FOR LANDING AT THE CARRIER’S FACILITY.

INITIAL WITNESS STATEMENTS AND VIDEO OBTAINED FROM SECURITY CAMERAS INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD TERMINATED AN APPROACH AND WAS IN A VERY HIGH HOVER TAXI APPROACHING AN ASPHALT PAD THAT THE COMPANY TYPICALLY USES FOR A FINAL APPROACH/TAKEOFF PAD, (FATO).

JUST AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, IT BEGAN TO SLOWLY SPIN TO THE LEFT AND BEGAN CLIMBING AS THE ROTATIONAL SPEED INCREASED.

AFTER CLIMBING TO A HEIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY THIRTY FEET, THE AIRCRAFT QUICKLY DESCENDED, STILL SPINNING TO THE LEFT AND IMPACTED TERRAIN ADJACENT TO THE FATO.

THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED GENERALLY UPRIGHT AND THERE WAS NO POST IMPACT FIRE.

ALL 6 PASSENGERS AND PILOT WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL WITH NON-LIFE THREATING INJURIES.

DURING AN INITIAL INVESTIGATION, INSPECTORS FROM THIS OFFICE ESTABLISHED CONTROL CONTINUITY AND DETERMINED THAT FUEL DEPLETION WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THE CRASH.

THE CRASH SITE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVED TO A SECURE STORAGE FACILITY ON THE AIRPORT AND STORED UNTIL A TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS COULD CONDUCT A DETAILED INSPECTION.

ON 01/11/2023, PARTY MEMBERS FROM FAA, NTSB, AIRBUS HELICOPTERS, SAFRAN-TURBOMECA AND THE OPERATOR, PERFORMED A DETAILED INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AT THE BOULDER CITY AIRPORT FACILITY. ENGINE DIGITAL ENGINE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT, (DEECU) AND APPAREO STORAGE DATA WAS REMOVED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND SENT TO THE NTSB LAB FOR DETAILED ANALYSIS.

DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE ACTIONS DEPICTED IN THE CRASH VIDEO.

NO PRE CRASH DAMAGE OR FAILED COMPONENT WAS FOUND ON THE AIRCRAFT.

THE AIRCRAFT DISPLAYED DAMAGE PATTERNS CONSISTENT WITH DEVELOPING POWER AND ROTOR SYSTEM ROTATION AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH.

INVESTIGATORS WERE UNABLE TO INTERVIEW THE PILOT DUE TO HIS INJURIES AND AVAILABILITY.

REPORT TO BE AMENDED AFTER INTERVIEWING THE PILOT AND OTHER COMPANY PERSONNEL WHO WERE WORKING AT THE AIRPORT AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH.

## 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 WPR23LA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA078), Dec 28, 2022: Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2 (N835GC), Boulder City, NV, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to apply anti-torque pedal input in a sufficient, timely, and sustained manner while attempting to arrest a turn during a hover-taxi, which resulted in a loss of directional…

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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