- Date
- August 5, 2012, 03:31 local (08:31 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N429PHBell 407
- Defining event
- Approach: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 7, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA San Antonio FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120805018919I
- Case key
- 84575
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a tower guy wire during the approach to a helipad at night.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The helicopter was on a visual descent at night to a hospital helipad when its left skid struck a tower guy wire, which resulted in a portion of the left skid separating from the helicopter. The pilot declared an emergency and diverted to a nearby airport. The operator reported no preincident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
On August 5, 2012, at 0331 central daylight time, a Bell 407 helicopter, N429PH, sustained minor damage when it contacted a tower guy wire while it was on approach to the helipad at the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), San Antonio, Texas. The pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic, and patient were not injured. The emergency medical services EMS helicopter was registered to and operated by PHI, Inc., under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was on a company visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan. The flight departed from the College Station Medical Center, College Station, Texas, at 0302. The operator reported that the helicopter was on a visual descent to the SAMMC helipad when the helicopter's left skid contacted a tower guy wire, located northeast of the helipad, which resulted in a portion of the left skid separating from the helicopter. The pilot declared an emergency and diverted to the San Antonio International Airport (SAT), San Antonio, Texas. The operator reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the helicopter before the incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N429PH
- Reported as
- Bell 407
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 53772
- Airframe hours
- 1,686
- Engine
- Rolls-Royc 250-C47B, 710 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Phi Inc
- Registered owner
- Phi Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 4, 2012
- Departed
- CLL · College Station, TX
- Destination
- SAMC · San Antonio, TX
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- SAMC · San Antonio Military Medical
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 10, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,308 total · 668 in this make and model · 3,165 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Observed at
- SAT, 6 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 22, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.