- Date
- May 18, 2018, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Yakutat, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N288CHAerospatiale AS350 B2 Ecureuil
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) start-up: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180518004389A
- Case key
- 97290
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 helicopter’s movement during startup in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the main rotor striking the tailboom.
Findings · 2
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 helicopter pilot reported that, during startup on an off-airport landing pad, the helicopter was facing into the wind, and the airspeed indicator was showing gusting wind conditions. As the blades began to turn, he felt a strong wind gust and heard a loud bang almost simultaneously, and the helicopter "lurched" to the right about 5°. He immediately aborted the start procedure and applied the rotor brake. Postaccident examination revealed that the helicopter's main rotor blade had struck the tail rotor driveshaft cover and damaged the tail rotor drive shaft and support assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the weather at the accident site, about the time of the accident, was wind from 130° at 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots with light, terrain-induced turbulence. The flight manual stated that the wind envelope for spinning and stopping the rotors has been substantiated for winds of 40 knots from any direction and for 50-knot headwinds.
Factual narrative
The helicopter pilot reported that, during startup on an off-airport landing pad, the helicopter was facing into the wind and the airspeed indicator was shoring gusting wind conditions. As the blades began to turn, he felt a strong gust of wind and heard a loud bang almost simultaneously, and the helicopter "lurched" to the right about 5 degrees. He immediately aborted the start procedure and applied the rotor brake. A postaccident examination revealed the helicopter's main rotor blade had struck the tail rotor driveshaft cover and damaged the tail rotor drive shaft and support assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported the weather at the accident site, about the time of the accident was, wind from 130° at 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots with light terrain-induced turbulence. The flight manual states that the wind envelope for spinning and stopping the rotors has been substantiated for winds of 40 knots from any direction and for 50 knots headwinds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N288CH
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS350 B2 Ecureuil (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2383
- Built
- 1990
- Airframe hours
- 9,854.4
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARRIEL 1D1, 531 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Coastal Helicopters Inc
- Registered owner
- Coastal Helicopters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 13, 2018
- Departed
- JNU · Juneau, AK
- Destination
- Yakutat, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Satellite tracking 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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 9, 2018
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,648 total · 701 in this make and model · 4,500 as pilot in command · 55.7 in the last 90 days · 47.7 in the last 30 days · 2.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 14 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- PAYA, 52 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 6, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.
Other investigations on N288CH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.