20240830011689I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · American Eurocopter AS350B3 · Taos, NM · August 30, 2024

Date
August 30, 2024 · 04:00 local
Place
Taos, NM
Airport
Taos Regional
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
QMLA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N508AM
Reported as
American Eurocopter AS350B3
Reported engine
Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B1
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
7,700 total343 in this make and model49 in the last 90 days

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 08/30/2024, while landing at base hanger, an air ambulance helicopter made contact with a hanger door while landing. There were 3 occupants aboard the aircraft (pilot, nurse, and paramedic). No injuries occurred. Pilot stated upon returned to base at 4AM, that the pilot only taken off from the hanger 1 time and was notified the hanger door was open and broken. Pilot, air taxi’d from the taxi way into hanger apron. Pilot made a right turn and another right turn with the tail of the aircraft facing the hanger door that was open due to it be inoperative. Pilot felt that he drifted aft while hovering and about to settle the aircraft on the ground, pilot maneuvered the cyclic forward to counteract the aft drift and the tail lifted up and the anti-collision light contacted the hanger door as well as the tips of the main rotor blades.

As the FAA filed it

ON 08/30/2024, WHILE LANDING AT BASE HANGER, AN AIR AMBULANCE HELICOPTER MADE CONTACT WITH A HANGER DOOR WHILE LANDING. THERE WERE 3 OCCUPANTS ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT (PILOT, NURSE, AND PARAMEDIC). NO INJURIES OCCURRED. PILOT STATED UPON RETURNED TO BASE AT 4AM, THAT THE PILOT ONLY TAKEN OFF FROM THE HANGER 1 TIME AND WAS NOTIFIED THE HANGER DOOR WAS OPEN AND BROKEN. PILOT, AIR TAXI’D FROM THE TAXI WAY INTO HANGER APRON. PILOT MADE A RIGHT TURN AND ANOTHER RIGHT TURN WITH THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT FACING THE HANGER DOOR THAT WAS OPEN DUE TO IT BE INOPERATIVE. PILOT FELT THAT HE DRIFTED AFT WHILE HOVERING AND ABOUT TO SETTLE THE AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND, PILOT MANEUVERED THE CYCLIC FORWARD TO COUNTERACT THE AFT DRIFT AND THE TAIL LIFTED UP AND THE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT CONTACTED THE HANGER DOOR AS WELL AS THE TIPS OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES.