What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 18th, 2024, at approximately 1230, a helicopter with 3 passengers and a pilot departed its base of operations on a glacier tour. The passengers stated that the flight to their first point on intended landing was bumpy. As the aircraft approached the ridge line that the pilot intended to land on, he slowed the aircraft and began his approach. The pilot stated that he had high ground to the right and low ground to the left. The low ground to the left was his escape route. The pilot stated that he had been to the location many times before but that this was the first time for that day. The pilot stated that he had a headwind of approximately 20-25 knots on the initial portion of the approach. The pilot stated that as he transitions through etl and began to enter the landing phase of the approach he experienced a down draft. In response to the downdraft the pilot increased collective. The increase in collective caused the full throttle light to illuminate. In response to the full throttle light the pilot reduced collective and subsequently the aircraft settled back into a normal approach profile, so the pilot chose to continue the approach. At approximately 10-15 feet the aircraft experienced another down draft. At this altitude the escape route was no longer available. The pilot stated that he increased collective and input forward cyclic in an attempt to do a go-around however, the aircraft continued to settle and descend downhill. The pilot stated that when it became apparent that he would not be able to fly away, he identified an emergency landing area approximately 50 feet to the front and adjusted the flight controls to make an emergency landing. Upon ground contact the aircraft experienced a 90-degree right yaw, the skids spread, and the aircraft rolled to the left coming to rest on it’s left side in a small pond at the emergency landing site. Once the aircraft had come to rest the pilot and passengers exited the aircraft. They were subsequently picked up by another aircraft from the same operator and transported back to base.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 18TH, 2024, AT APPROXIMATELY 1230, A HELICOPTER WITH 3 PASSENGERS AND A PILOT DEPARTED ITS BASE OF OPERATIONS ON A GLACIER TOUR. THE PASSENGERS STATED THAT THE FLIGHT TO THEIR FIRST POINT ON INTENDED LANDING WAS BUMPY. AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE RIDGE LINE THAT THE PILOT INTENDED TO LAND ON, HE SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT AND BEGAN HIS APPROACH. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD HIGH GROUND TO THE RIGHT AND LOW GROUND TO THE LEFT. THE LOW GROUND TO THE LEFT WAS HIS ESCAPE ROUTE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN TO THE LOCATION MANY TIMES BEFORE BUT THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME FOR THAT DAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD A HEADWIND OF APPROXIMATELY 20-25 KNOTS ON THE INITIAL PORTION OF THE APPROACH. THE PILOT STATED THAT AS HE TRANSITIONS THROUGH ETL AND BEGAN TO ENTER THE LANDING PHASE OF THE APPROACH HE EXPERIENCED A DOWN DRAFT. IN RESPONSE TO THE DOWNDRAFT THE PILOT INCREASED COLLECTIVE. THE INCREASE IN COLLECTIVE CAUSED THE FULL THROTTLE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. IN RESPONSE TO THE FULL THROTTLE LIGHT THE PILOT REDUCED COLLECTIVE AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED BACK INTO A NORMAL APPROACH PROFILE, SO THE PILOT CHOSE TO CONTINUE THE APPROACH. AT APPROXIMATELY 10-15 FEET THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED ANOTHER DOWN DRAFT. AT THIS ALTITUDE THE ESCAPE ROUTE WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE INCREASED COLLECTIVE AND INPUT FORWARD CYCLIC IN AN ATTEMPT TO DO A GO-AROUND HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO SETTLE AND DESCEND DOWNHILL. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FLY AWAY, HE IDENTIFIED AN EMERGENCY LANDING AREA APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET TO THE FRONT AND ADJUSTED THE FLIGHT CONTROLS TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. UPON GROUND CONTACT THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A 90-DEGREE RIGHT YAW, THE SKIDS SPREAD, AND THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED TO THE LEFT COMING TO REST ON IT’S LEFT SIDE IN A SMALL POND AT THE EMERGENCY LANDING SITE. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT HAD COME TO REST THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. THEY WERE SUBSEQUENTLY PICKED UP BY ANOTHER AIRCRAFT FROM THE SAME OPERATOR AND TRANSPORTED BACK TO BASE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.