DEN05FA103

The EMS helicopter had been dispatched to medivac a logger who had been injured in a trucking accident. The pilot made a low pass, then circled around to make his landing approach. A volunteer fireman, who was standing at the landing zone (LZ) and directing the helicopter, said the temperature was "about 80 degrees [F.]," and he advised the pilot that the winds were calm. The fireman said the helicopter was about 220 feet above tree level when "it dropped straight down." He heard no unusual engine sounds and did not see the impact. The on-scene examination revealed all four main rotor blades remained attached to the rotor hub and were drooped over the wreckage. Examination of the fuel control unit (FCU) revealed a 1/16-inch gap at the mating flange between the flow (fuel bypass passage, Po) and drive (air pressure passages, Px & Py) bodies. One of four retention-bolts was backed out and the packing was partially extruded. The bolt was too short, another bolt was too long, and the other two bolts were insufficiently torqued. Additionally, the flow and drive bodies were not perfectly flat. Further examination of the FCU revealed no functional anomalies.

History of flight

On June 30, 2005, at 1357 mountain daylight time, an Agusta A119 helicopter, N403CF, operated by Tri-State Care Flight, LLC, of Bullhead City, Arizona, as "Care Flight 4" and piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while approaching to land at a landing zone (LZ), 7.5 miles northeast of Mancos, Colorado. The pilot, flight nurse, and paramedic were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed and activated for the emergency medical service (EMS) flight being conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The flight originated at Animas Airpark (5CO0), Durango, Colorado, at 1242.

According to Tri-State Care Flight, the helicopter had been dispatched earlier to search for a 14-year-old drowning victim in the Animas River near Farmington, New Mexico. The helicopter crew eventually located the victim. While the helicopter was returning to Durango, it was dispatched to the Red Arrow Mines area, near Mancos, for a logger who had been injured in a trucking accident. The helicopter flew to 5CO0, where it was refueled from a company fuel truck (quantity unknown), then responded to the emergency.

According to a volunteer fireman who was standing at the LZ and directing the helicopter, the pilot made a low pass, then circled around to make his landing approach. The fireman said the temperature was "about 80 degrees [F.]," and he advised the pilot that the winds were calm. The pilot acknowledged this information. The fireman, who was looking directly at the approaching helicopter, said it was about 220 feet above tree level when "it dropped straight down." He said he heard no unusual engine sounds, and he did not see the impact. The first 9-1-1 telephone call was received by Montezuma County Dispatch at 1402.

The accident occurred during the hours of daylight in the Helmet Peak area, near Forest Road (FR) 567 and FR 322, 7-1/2 miles northeast of Mancos. The accident site was at an elevation of 9,731 feet msl, and at a location of 37 degrees, 23.620' north latitude, and 108 degrees, 08.320' west longitude.

Crew information

The pilot, age 40, held a commercial pilot certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument-helicopter ratings, dated September 25, 1995. He also held a second class airman medical certificate, dated April 18, 2005, with no restrictions or limitations. According to Tri-State Care Flight records, the pilot had logged 2,215 total flight hours, of which 1,600 hours were as pilot-in-command, and 130 hours were in the Agusta A119. In addition, the pilot had logged 532 night hours, and 81 hours in actual instrument meteorological conditions. When he made application for his medical certificate, the pilot estimated he had accrued 2,500 total flight hours, of which 80 hours were logged in the previous 6 months. He was employed by Tri-State Care Flight as an EMS helicopter pilot on May 9, 2004.

The flight nurse, age 49, was employed by Tri-State Care Flight on September 6, 2004. His most recent medical recurrency check was accomplished on May 31, 2005, and his most recent helicopter recurrency check was accomplished on May 10, 2004.

The emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P), age 33, was employed by Tri-State Care Flight on May 10, 2004. His most recent medical recurrency check was accomplished on May 31, 2005, and his most recent helicopter recurrency check was accomplished on May 10, 2004.

Aircraft information

N403CF (s/n 14009), a model A119, was manufactured by Agusta SPA. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the helicopter a standard airworthiness certificate in the normal category on July 6, 2000. The helicopter was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada, Inc., (hereinafter referred to as P&WC) PT6B-37A turboshaft engine (s/n PCE-PU0006), rated at 900 shaft horsepower. The helicopter has a gross weight of 2,720 kilograms (5,997 pounds), a fuel capacity of 157 gallons, and a ceiling of 15,000 feet.

According to the aircraft's maintenance records, the engine was installed in the airframe on September 11, 2000, the first run-up occurred on October 6, 2000, and ground and in-flight checks were completed on December 17, 2000. The helicopter was certified as being airworthy. Additional flight checks were made on December 18, 20, 28, and 29, 2000. The first annual inspection was performed on August 2, 2001. Additional annual inspections were performed on September 17, 2003, and April 15, 2004, the latter occurring at a total time of 394.3 hours. More recently, the helicopter was maintained under an FAA approved airworthiness inspection program (AAIP), to wit:

Phase A March 10, 2005 642.6 hours

Phase B April 4, 2005 699.6 hours

Phase C May 22, 2005 752.5 hours

At the accident site, the Hobbs meter read 816.2 hours.

On June 3, 2002, the fuel control unit (FCU) was removed and another FCU was installed. No reason was given. On January 2, 2003, that FCU and the fuel pump were removed and replaced with different units. Again, no reason was given.

Meteorological information

Routine Aviation Weather Reports (METARs), recorded at 1353 by the Cortez (CEZ) and Durango (DRO) ASOSs (Automated Surface Observing Systems), located 30 n.m. west-southwest and 30 n.m. southeast of the accident site, were as follows:

CEZ (1353): Wind, variable at 5 knots; visibility, 10 s.m. (or greater); sky condition, clear (below 12,000 ft.); temperature, 30 degrees Celsius (C.); dew point, -4 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 30.16 inches of Mercury; remarks: precipitation discriminator, sea level pressure, 1014.2 mb.

DRO (1404): Wind, variable at 5 knots, gusts to 16 knots; visibility, 10 s.m. (or greater); sky condition, clear (below 12,000 ft.); temperature, 29 degrees C.; dew point, -5 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 30.21 inches of Mercury.

Wreckage and impact information

FAA's Northwest Mountain (ANM) Regional Operations Center (ROC) notified the National Transportation Safety Board of the accident at 1434 on June 30, and its investigator arrived on site approximately 0900 on July 1.

The on-scene examination disclosed a ground scar, aligned on a magnetic heading of 106 degrees, containing skid marks and a separated left skid. The helicopter was next to and at the end of the ground scar, and was aligned on a magnetic heading of 360 degrees. All four rotor blades were still attached to the hub. The blades drooped over the wreckage. There were no contact marks on the hydraulic accumulators. The pitch link and swash plate control rods were all intact and attached. The tail boom was severed just aft of the engine and was to the right side of the helicopter. It was aligned on a magnetic heading of 265 degrees. The tail rotor separated at the gearbox, and lay to the left and next to the tail boom.

Cockpit examination revealed the following instrument readings:

Vertical speed: 100 fpm UP

Altimeter: 9,500 feet

Kollsman window: 30.22 in. Hg.

Airspeed: 0 kts.

Attitude indicator: Level, 20 degrees nose up

HSI heading/course/needle: 110 degrees/115 degrees/centered/NAV, HDG, VERT flags exposed

Magnetic compass: 349 degrees

Torque: 0

RPM: 101%

Itt: 0

XMSN oil temperature/pressure: 0/0

Engine oil temperature/pressure: 0/0

Fuel pressure: 22 psi

Hydraulic pressure: 14/0

Voltmeter: 15

Ammeter: 0

Fuel: 4/0

Hobbs meter: 816.2

Medical and pathological information

Autopsies were performed on the three crewmembers on July 1, 2005. In each case, the cause of death was attributed to "multiple fractures and internal injuries due to blunt trauma"; the manner of death was listed as "accidental." A toxicological screen revealed no carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, or drugs in the pilot's blood.

Tests and research

On behalf of NTSB, the engine was disassembled and inspected at