# Incident 20240830011689I: American Eurocopter LLC AS350B3, Taos, NM, August 30, 2024

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 30, 2024, 04:00 local time
- Place: Taos, NM
- Airport: Taos Regional
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Taxi
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: QMLA
- Location: 36.4517° N, 105.6731° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at TAOS RGNL (SKX), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.4517&lon=-105.6731&mi=10
- Aircraft: N508AM, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N508AM) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: American Eurocopter AS350B3 (registry code 1145002, https://openairdocs.org/model/american-eurocopter-as350b3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B1 (registry code 60056, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-2b1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMERICAN EUROCOPTER LLC AS350B3
- Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2B1
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 7,700 total, 343 in this make and model, 49 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240830011689I

## Narrative

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

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.

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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