- Date
- April 2, 2003, 16:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Estes Park, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N56SMHughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Denver, CO
- FAA report
- 20030402007219A
- Case key
- 56738
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 failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain clearance from terrain. Factors include the high density altitude and the pilot-in-command's improper in-flight planning.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot said they were capturing bighorn sheep with a net canon. He said he was pursuing a group of animals up rising terrain (11,200 feet) when his rotor speed began to deteriorate. He tried to turn the helicopter around, but hit the ground breaking the helicopter's right skid. Subsequently, the aircraft rolled over onto its right side, and its main rotor blades separated from the helicopter. The density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 13,068 feet.
Factual narrative
On April 2, 2003, at approximately 1620 mountain standard time, a Hughes 369D helicopter, N56SM, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a reversal maneuver near Estes Park, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his private pilot crewmember were not injured. Aris Helicopters of San Jose, California, was operating the flight under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local, animal capture flight that originated at approximately 1530 from a forward staging area. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.
The pilot said they were capturing bighorn sheep with a net canon. He said he was pursuing a group of animals up rising terrain (11,200 feet) when his rotor speed began to deteriorate. He tried to turn the helicopter around, but hit the ground, breaking the helicopter's right skid. The aircraft rolled over onto its right side, and its main rotor blades separated from the helicopter. The density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 13,068 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56SM
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 380287D
- Airframe hours
- 6,478.4
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Acme Rocket Sleds Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 6, 2003 · 33.6 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Estes Park, CO
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- December 24, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.47 inHg
- Observed at
- FNL, 37 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.