- Date
- July 14, 1994, 17:45 local (Jul 15, 1994, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- Kalaupapa, HI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N350MHAerospatiale AS350B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940714018959A
- Case key
- 19181
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 failure to properly monitor power required versus power available to maintain rotor revolutions per minute (RPM), resulting in rotor RPM decay and a forced landing. Factors related to the accident were: the pilot's change of the tour route without notifying the company, which delayed rescue, and the location of the arm and fire switches for the flotation equipment, which required the pilot to remove his hand from the collective control to activate that equipment.
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 helicopter was on a 14 CFR part 135 air tour flight, which was scheduled to tour around the island of maui. The pilot made the decision to tour the island of molokai when weather along his scheduled route deteriorated. He did not inform the company of the routing change. While in a hover approximately 150 feet from a shore line, rotor RPM deteriorated and the inflatable float-equipped helicopter made an emergency landing in the water. The floats were deployed as the helicopter entered the water; however, the landing was hard and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. (To deploy the floats, the pilot was required to remove his hand from the collective control.) The pilot and five of the passengers were not injured. The remaining passenger received serious injuries. After landing, the seven occupants donned life vests and swam to the shore where they spent the night before being located by airborne search personnel. The helicopter drifted ashore and was examined. No evidence of a preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was found.
Factual narrative
See Group Chairman's Factual Report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N350MH
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS350B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2199
- Airframe hours
- 5,337
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B, 685 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Hawaii Helicopers
- Registered owner
- Hawaii Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 4, 1994 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- OGG · Kahului, HI
- Destination
- OGG · HI
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,497 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 227 in the last 90 days · 77 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OGG, 30 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.