# NTSB LAX05LA308: Eurocopter AS350B3, N814CE, Running Springs, CA, September 21, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 21, 2005, 10:15 local (17:15 UTC) - Place: Running Springs, CA - Coordinates: 34.219722, -117.052497 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2197&lon=-117.0525&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report December 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration, Southen California Edison, American Eurocopter, Turbomeca USA - NTSB case key (mKey): 62518 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX05LA308 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62518/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=62518 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA308 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate clearance from trees while performing long line external lift operations. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - object - tree(s) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The helicopter was performing external load operations in the vicinity of tall trees when the main rotor impacted a tree and the helicopter descended nose first into the ground. At the time of rotor impact with the trees, the Vehicle Engine Monitoring Display (VEMD) recorded a high torque measurement (146 percent) and a low engine drive speed measurement (184 rpm), followed by a low torque (5.7 percent) and a high engine speed (511 rpm) and temperature (999C). As a result of the main rotor impact with trees the engine's torque twisted apart the engine to transmission drive shaft causing an engine over speed and over temperature condition. The operator was utilizing a 78.8-foot-long line for the external load operations, which in some cases put the main rotor of the helicopter below the treetops of the 80- to 90-foot trees. Examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of a preimpact malfunction or failure of the control system or power plant. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 21, 2005, at 1015 Pacific daylight time, a Eurocopter AS350B3, N814CE, collided with trees while performing external load operations 3 miles east of Running Springs, California. Southern California Edison operated the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 133. The commercial pilot was seriously injured and the helicopter was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at the Ontario International Airport, Ontario, California. The operator reported in the Pilot-Operator Accident Report that the helicopter was performing external load operations at a field site between Running Springs and the Snow Valley recreation area. The pilot had just set a steel cage at a pole site location, and released the load. As the helicopter departed the area, the main rotor blades impacted a tree and branches approximately 80-90 feet above ground level (agl). After the blade strike the helicopter descended, striking several trees with the main rotor blades. The helicopter impacted the ground at a 45-degree nose low attitude, coming to rest with the right aft passenger side on a large rock. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that was on scene shortly after the accident said that the long line being used for the external load operation was 78 feet 10 inches long, and that the highest tree cut was 86 feet above the ground. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The commercial pilot held ratings for rotorcraft helicopter, and instrument helicopter. He also held a certified flight instructor certificate with a rotorcraft-helicopter rating. The pilot was issued a first-class medical certificate dated September 19, 2005, with the limitation that he wear corrective lenses. Southern California Edison reported that the pilot had 10,765 hours in rotorcraft, and 187 hours in this make and model. An FAA inspector interviewed the pilot on November 2, 2005. The pilot stated that he could remember very little. He was staging equipment in the receiving area, heard a noise, and then woke up in the intensive care unit at the hospital. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT Safety investigators from American Eurocopter, Turbomeca USA, FAA, and Southern California Edison, examined the helicopter wreckage on October 26, 2005, under the supervision of the National Transporation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) at the Edison secured storage location in Pomona, California. The cockpit had an upward v-bend deformation in the floor decking on the right side behind the copilot's seat. This deformation allowed the nose and instrument panel of the helicopter to droop downward about 20 degrees. The aft cabin area and aft fuselage appeared to be not deformed. The engine cowling exhibited chard and black areas consistent with a high temperature thermal event on its upper surfaces. The air filter had crumbled and collapsed into the engine air intake plenum. The tail boom was collapsed in the middle just forward of the horizontal stabilizer. The tail rotor drive shaft forward of the bend had black soot all over it and the tail rotor drive shaft hanger bearings had been displaced aft of their respective mountings. The tail rotor drive shaft aft of the bend was painted light blue in color and the hanger bearings in this section were still in their respective mounts. The tail rotor was present, exhibited some skin creases on each blade, and evidence of blade cuff contact with the blade hub. The tail rotor gearbox sight glass showed fluid present in the reservoir. All three blades from the main rotor were separated from the rotor at the blade root, leaving blade attachment portions of the blade in the blade grip. The blue blade was fragmented in to three sections; a chordwise break 5 feet from the root, a break 7 feet from the root, and the last break 6.5 feet inboard from the blade tip. The yellow blade was buckled at the leading edge 3 feet from the root and 6 feet inboard from the tip. The red blade was buckled at the leading edge 6 feet 5 inches from the blade root and separated at a location 3 feet 7 inches inboard from the blade tip. The skids did not appear to be spread; both skids fractured and separated forward of ther forward cross tube attachment points. Approximately 55 gallons of fuel had been drained from the helicopter at the scene. Removal of the engine cowling revealed a black sooted engine. The turbine wheel containment ring was deformed at the 5 o'clock position (looking aft to forward) and had dark bluish discolorations in areas. Twenty tail pipe flange-mounting bolts were displaced out of their respective attachment fitting holes from the 3 o'clock position to the 11 o'clock position. Pieces of the flange mounting bolts and turbine blades were found on the decking below the engine. The backside of the firewall exhibited dark discolored areas. The turbine wheel and blade roots were located in the engine minus all the turbine blades. The gas producer section was rotated by hand. The first stage of compressor blades were black in color and exhibited leading edge erosion on all blades. The magnetic drain plugs on modules 1 and 5 were removed and observed to have little to no particles attached to the magnet. The engine to transmission drive shaft had the appearance of having been twisted off at the transmission end in a clockwise manor with the twisted ends similar in appearance to a drill bit. The free wheel unit rotated in the clockwise direction but not in the counterclockwise direction. The transmission rotated freely in the direction of normal rotation. Fluid was visible through the transmission fluid sight glass. The transmission had been displaced forward and rotated slightly in the counterclockwise direction. Electrical power was applied to the helicopter, the Vehicle Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD) was energized, and the maintenance and fault pages were viewed and photographed. It was observed that current data was also being received and displayed on the VEMD from the Digital Engine Control Unit (DECU). TESTS AND RESEARCH Engine Exam Under the supervision of an FAA inspector the engine was removed from the airframe, crated, and shipped to Turbomeca USA, Grand Prairie, Texas. On January 5, 2006, technical representatives from Turbomeca USA, American Eurocopter, and Southern California Edison examined the engine under the supervision of the Safety Board investigator-in-charge. Detailed notes documenting the engine examination and teardown are available in the official docket of this investigation. The examination revealed no evidence of a preimpact malfunction or failure of the power plant. Vehicle Engine Multifunction Display (VEMD) and Digital Engine Control Unit (DECU) Data During the airframe examination the VEMD was powered up using the helicopters own battery power, and the maintenance pages directly relating to the accident flight were displayed and photographed in sequence. The DECU data was downloaded at the Turbomeca USA facility under the supervision of a Safety Board investigator. The following parameters are defined: N1 or Ng is the gas generator turbine speed defined as percent; N2 or Nf is the free turbine speed defined in rotor speed based rpm; T4 or T4.5 is the temperature of the gas passing through the turbine section in Celsius; and torque is defined in percent. The VEMD Flight Report pages recorded that the accident flight was flight number 426 with a duration of 11 minutes. The diagnosis page data stated at 11 minutes 5 seconds there was a collective lever failure; Ng was 97.6 percent, torque was 120.1 percent, T4 was 842C, and Nf was 184 rpm. The AS350B3 flight manual and the Turbomeca Arriel 2B maintenance manual states that the normal ranges for these parameters are; N1 or Ng between 85 and 108.5 percent, N2 or Nf between 375 to 405 rpm, T4 maximu ## Aircraft - Registration: [N814CE](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N814CE-2005-12-14), registration cancelled 2005-12-14, S/N 3847, built 2004 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Eurocopter AS350B3 - Registry model: [Eurocopter AS 350 B3](https://openairdocs.org/model/eurocopter-as-350-b3) (registry code 8680954) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B1](https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-2b1) (registry code 60056, turbo-shaft) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 3847 - Airframe hours: 320.3 - Engines: Turbomeca Arriel 2B 728 horsepower turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: External load, Part 133 - Operator: Southern California Edison - Registered owner: ICX Corporation - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, August 1, 2005 - Departed: Running Springs, CA - Destination: Running Springs, CA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 42; injuries: serious; commercial, flight instructor; instrument ratings: helicopter; medical: class 1; last flight review December 1, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 10,765 total, 187 in this make and model, 10,765 as pilot in command, 110 in the last 90 days, 57 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 230° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 16 °F - Altimeter: 30.28 inHg - Observed at: KL35, 3 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050921024779A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050921024779A), Sep 21, 2005: Snias AS350B3, Arrowbear Lake, CA, Destroyed. (-23) A southern California edison (sce) AS-340-B3 Eurocopter crashed (from a height of @ 78 feet AGL) in a forested area immediately after dropping off an… ## Docket (13 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 20, 2006, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=62518. 5.5 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 250 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259272&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Witness & Pilot Statements (item 2, .PDF, 82 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259273&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20%26%20Pilot%20Statements-Redacted.PDF - Wreckage Diagrams (item 3, .PDF, 34 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259274&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Wreckage%20Diagrams-Master.PDF - Sheriff's Report (item 4, .PDF, 445 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259278&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Sheriff%27s%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 5, .PDF, 68 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259279&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 6, .PDF, 81 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259280&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - VEMD & DECU Data (item 7, .PDF, 394 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40260462&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=VEMD%20%26%20DECU%20Data-Redacted.PDF - VEMD Screen Shots (item 8, .PDF, 594 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259282&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=VEMD%20Screen%20Shots-Master.PDF - Engine Teardown Field Notes (item 9, .PDF, 12 photos, 524 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259283&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Engine%20Teardown%20Field%20Notes-Master.PDF - Photo 1 -Aerial View (item 10, .PDF, 511 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259275&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-Aerial%20View-Master.PDF - Photo 2- Ground View (item 11, .PDF, 789 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259276&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202-%20Ground%20View-Master.PDF - Photo 3- Right Side View (item 12, .PDF, 961 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40259277&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203-%20Right%20Side%20View-Master.PDF - Photo 4- Engine to Transmission Driveshaft (item 13, .PDF, 755 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40260565&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204-%20Engine%20to%20Transmission%20Driveshaft-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.