- Date
- October 13, 2000, 08:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Hilo, HI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N532BHAerospatiale AS350-BH
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 15, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001013015089A
- Case key
- 50492
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
Inadequate maintenance by the helicopter manufacturer during manufacture, which installed skins of inadequate thickness on the tail boom. A factor in the accident was the failure of the manufacturer's quality control system to detect the inadequate thickness.
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 tail boom of the helicopter bent downward during landing following a practice hovering autorotation. The pilot reported that the accident occurred following their third hovering autorotation landing. He said that the touchdown was acceptable and would have met check ride criteria. About 2 seconds after touchdown there was "an obvious component failure" felt throughout the airframe, accompanied by severe vibrations and "audible and physical indications" of failure. After exiting the aircraft, the pilot expected to find a problem in the main rotor head and was surprised to find the tail boom bent downward at the midpoint. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail boom was fabricated from skins of thickness 0.025 inches, as opposed to a skin thickness of 0.032 inches identified in the structural repair manual. The helicopter records showed that the tail boom was originally installed on the (new) helicopter at the factory and had acquired 14,053 hours in service.
Factual narrative
On October 13, 2000, at 0845 hours Hawaiian standard time, an Aerospatiale AS350-BH, N532BH, was substantially damaged when the tail boom was bent downward during landing following a practice hovering autorotation at Hilo International Airport, Hilo, Hawaii. The commercial certificated flight instructor and the airline transport certificated pilot being instructed were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area training flight, operated by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed from Hilo at 0825, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that the accident occurred following their third hovering autorotation landing. The pilot reported that the touchdown was acceptable and would have met check ride criteria. About 2 seconds after touchdown there was "an obvious component failure" felt throughout the airframe, accompanied by severe vibrations and "audible and physical indications" of failure. After exiting the aircraft, the pilot expected to find a problem in the main rotor head and was surprised to find the tail boom bent downward at the midpoint.
A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail boom was fabricated from skins of thickness 0.025 inches, as opposed to a skin thickness of 0.032 inches identified in the structural repair manual. The helicopter records showed that the tail boom was originally installed on the (new) helicopter at the factory and had acquired 14,053 hours in service.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N532BH
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS350-BH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2494
- Airframe hours
- 14,053
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B, 641 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Blue Hawaiian Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Helicopter Consultants Of Maui
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 18, 2000 · 68 hours before
- Departed
- ITO · HI
- Airport
- ITO · Hilo International
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 16,295 total · 7,116 in this make and model · 154 in the last 90 days · 43 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 167 °F, dew point 162 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HTO, 1 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.