- Date
- February 13, 2021, 11:11 local (17:11 UTC)
- Place
- Alexandria, MN
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N352LLAgustawestland Philadelphia AW119MKII
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20210213000199A
- Case key
- 102633
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The helicopter’s impact with an object on departure that could not be determined.
Findings · 1
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 airline transport pilot of the commercial air medical flight reported that during a climbing left turn on departure, he heard a “thud.” He confirmed with the crew they had not dropped anything, and they affirmed they had not. The pilot believed the helicopter had hit something and elected to return to the departure airport. The pilot scanned the air to find what they could have impacted but did not see anything and then assumed a cowling had become unlatched due to the cold and vibration. He landed and left the helicopter running while the crew looked over the helicopter. At this time, the pilot was notified the trip was cancelled so he shut down, refueled, and moved the helicopter into the hangar. Once in the hangar, the pilot noticed the leading edge of the main rotor blade was a dented with a hole through the blade just aft of the dent. What caused the substantial damage to the main rotor blade was not determined. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N352LL
- Reported as
- Agustawestland Philadelphia AW119MKII
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 14820
- Built
- 2014
- Airframe hours
- 2,631
- Engine
- P&W Canada PT6B-37A, 900 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Critical Care Services Inc DBA
- Registered owner
- Critical Care Services Inc DBA
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · February 12, 2021 · 2,468 hours before
- Destination
- Gleenwood, MN
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- AXN · Chandler Fld
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
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 19, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,723 total · 590 in this make and model · 2,550 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- -9 °F, dew point -20 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.45 inHg
- Observed at
- KAXN
- METAR
- KAXN 131653Z AUTO 36003KT 10SM CLR M23/M29 A3045 RMK AO2 SLP364 T12331294
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 9, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 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.