- Date
- May 19, 2022, 12:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N448JMEurocopter AS355
- Defining event
- Enroute: Part(s) separation from AC
- 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
- FAA report
- 20220519007479A
- Case key
- 105102
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 inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in the unlatched engine cowling opening and being struck by a main rotor blade during flight. Contributing to the accident was the mechanic’s failure to properly secure the cowling following maintenance.
Findings · 5
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 picked up the helicopter from a repair facility and while flying home heard a “boom,” felt a vibration in the tail, and performed a precautionary landing to a beach. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the engine cowling had become unlatched and was subsequently struck by a main rotor blade. The detached cowling then struck the horizontal stabilizer and tail rotor, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that he did not confirm that the engine cowling latch was properly secured during his preflight inspection. He reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter before the cowling opened and detached.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N448JM
- Reported as
- Eurocopter AS355 (N)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5627
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 3,547.2
- Engine
- Eurocopter Turbomeca Arrius 1A, 479 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 19, 2022
- Departed
- PBI · West Palm Beach, FL
- Destination
- HWO · North Perry, FL
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,707 total · 212 in this make and model · 2,292 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- BCT, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KBCT 191553Z 12006KT 10SM SCT050 32/23 A3003
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 3, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.8 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.