- Date
- January 12, 2018, 09:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Van Nuys, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N205KSBell UH 1H
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180112006529A
- Case key
- 96619
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 maintain clearance from a stationary helicopter during landing. Contributing to the accident was the ground crew’s failure to ensure that the helicopter would clear the stationary helicopter.
Findings · 4
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 that, while hovering the helicopter to park between three stationary helicopters, the ground crew gave him the signal for a 180° "pedal turn." As the helicopter was about to touch down, he felt a shudder in the airframe. He then immediately rolled the throttle closed and completed an emergency shutdown. Postaccident examination revealed that the tail rotor blades struck the main blades of a stationary helicopter, which likely caused the shudder felt by the pilot. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor and main rotor systems. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, while hovering the helicopter to park between three stationary helicopters, he had been given the signal for a 180 degree "pedal turn" by the ground crew. As the helicopter was about to touchdown, he felt a shudder in the airframe, immediately rolled the throttle closed, and completed an emergency shutdown. A post-accident examination revealed that the tail rotor blades struck the main blades of a stationary helicopter. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor and main rotor systems. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N205KS
- Reported as
- Bell UH 1H (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- SN67-17328
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 1,933.6
- Engine
- Honeywell T53-703, 1,800 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Public use
- Operator
- Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit, doing business as Rescue Operations in Montecito, CA
- Registered owner
- Usda Forest Service Fepp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Unknown
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 27, 2017
- Departed
- GOLF · Santa Barbara, CA
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- VNY · Van Nuys
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- December 22, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 426 total · 70 in this make and model · 287 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KVNY
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 20, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 103 KB 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.
Other investigations on N205KS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.