- Date
- November 14, 2020, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hammonton, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N712CAAerospatiale AS355
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20201114019419A
- Case key
- 102298
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 pilot's decision to continue the takeoff with a perceived mechanical deficiency.
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 pilot reported he was departing from a dolly connected to a Kubota. During the initial collective input, he believed he had a stuck tail rotor pedal but continued the takeoff attempt because he “wasn’t afraid of a stuck pedal.” As the helicopter started to slide left off the dolly, he increased collective, the helicopter spun to the left and impacted the Kubota, resulting in substantial damage to the tail rotor and tail boom. A post-accident examination was unable to determine a definitive mechanical, hydraulic or electrical malfunction or anomaly that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N712CA
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS355 (F2)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5362
- Built
- 1987
- Airframe hours
- 4,353.5
- Engines
- Rolls-Royce 250-C20F, 420 horsepower, turbo shaftRolls-Royce 250-C20F, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Catalyst Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Catalyst Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 12, 2020
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- N81 · Hammonton Muni
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Auto-pilot
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
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 19, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 9,700 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- VAY, 16 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 26, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.5 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.