# NTSB LAX06FA069: McDonnell Douglas 369FF, N530MD, Lihue, HI, December 26, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: December 25, 2005, 17:40 local (Dec 26, 2005, 03:40 UTC) - Place: Lihue, HI - Coordinates: 21.983333, -159.375 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=21.9833&lon=-159.3750&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report August 30, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Rolls Royce, The Boeing Company, NTSB, MDHI, FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 62987 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX06FA069 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62987/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=62987 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX06FA069 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while hovering out of ground effect during an external load operation. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of experience in external load operations. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, hover - out of ground effect - lack of total experience in type operation, pilot in command (contributing factor) - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - water ## Analysis The helicopter was dispatched on an external load, fire suppression mission. A 25-foot line and 140-gallon Bambi Bucket were attached to the helicopter's cargo hook. The pilot then flew to a reservoir to pick up the first load of water. There were no witnesses at the reservoir; however, witnesses nearby observed the helicopter drop down towards the reservoir behind a tree line and then rise back up above the tree line. Two witnesses provided conflicting statements. One reported that the helicopter spun rapidly in a clockwise direction, then stopped spinning and descended slowly back out of view below the tree line. This witness reported that he could not hear the engine. The other witness reported that the helicopter spun violently in a counterclockwise direction, and the engine was loud, then "shutdown or stalled," and the helicopter stopped spinning and descended slowly out of view. The helicopter was found approximately 10 feet from shore completely submerged in the reservoir with the exception of the right skid, which protruded from the water. Small trees, with limb diameters ranging between 1 and 2 inches, were freshly cut along the bank in the vicinity of the helicopter. Examination of the helicopter after it was recovered from the reservoir revealed damage consistent with the fuselage impacting the water in a level roll attitude with a nose down pitch attitude. Damage to the main rotor blades indicated that they were rotating at nominal operational RPM at the time of impact. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction was found during the examination. Disassembly of the engine, fuel control, and power turbine governor revealed no evidence of any anomalies that would have prevented the engine from producing power prior to impact. The engine's compressor impeller exhibited foreign object damage to several blades with the blade tips torn and bent opposite the direction of rotation, indicating that the compressor was rotating when the damage occurred. Approximately two months prior to the accident, the pilot reported having 430 hours helicopter flight time of which 70 hours were in the accident make and model helicopter. Approximately two weeks before the accident, he was issued a Statement of Competency for external load operations by the operator's chief pilot. Operator personnel reported that the accident flight was the pilot's first solo external load flight. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 25, 2005, at 1740 Hawaiian standard time, a McDonnell Douglas 369FF (also known as a 530FF) helicopter, N530MD, impacted small trees and water at the De Mello reservoir following an in-flight loss of control while hovering out of ground effect near Lihue, Hawaii. The helicopter was operated by Smoky Mountain Helicopters, Hanapepe, Hawaii, doing business as Inter-Island Helicopters (Air-1) as a fire suppression asset for the Kauai Fire Department (KFD) under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 133, Rotorcraft External Load Operations. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured, and the helicopter was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a flight plan had not been filed. The local flight departed a parking lot located in the vicinity of a brush fire near Lihue, about 10 minutes prior to the accident. According to Inter-Island Helicopters personnel, they received a call from KFD requesting their assistance in suppressing a brush fire that was nearing an apartment complex. The company's chief pilot dispatched the accident pilot and the ground supervisor to the fire to assist KFD personnel. According to the ground supervisor, the pilot flew him to the apartment parking lot where he then proceeded to hook up the 25-foot line and 140-gallon Bambi Bucket to the helicopter. The pilot then departed the parking lot and headed to the De Mello reservoir to fill the bucket with water. A witness located near the accident site reported that the helicopter dropped down over the reservoir and he lost sight of the helicopter behind the tree line. He then observed the helicopter rise up in a "vertical" manner from the reservoir with the bucket still attached. He indicated that the nose of the helicopter was pointed down some. The helicopter then began to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. The rotation became "very violent, very fast." At this point in the event, the witness heard the engine "rev up really loud." Others located at the park then noticed the helicopter due to the loud engine noise. The helicopter was spinning violently, and then he heard the engine "shutdown or stall." The rotation of the helicopter began to slow and the nose began to level as the helicopter descended back down toward the reservoir. The witness then lost sight of the helicopter as it descended behind the tree line, and commented that the descent seemed more controlled. He also indicated that the bucket remained attached to the helicopter throughout the entire event, and he was not sure if the pilot disconnected the bucket line as it descended below the tree line. He added that the tail rotor system remained attached to the helicopter throughout his view of the event. When asked how high the helicopter was during the event, he could not say for sure but estimated that it was below 100 feet above the ground. A second witness, who was at the same location as the first witness, reported that when he observed the helicopter it was spinning in a clockwise direction. He stated that the helicopter was "level, but spinning pretty fast." He added that the bucket remained attached to the helicopter and was following the helicopter as it spun around. The helicopter stopped rotating and then began a slow descent, which the witness described as a "controlled drop." The witness continued to observe the helicopter until it descended below the tree line. He did not recall hearing the helicopter's engine. When questioned by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) about the helicopter's direction of rotation, the witness stated that other witnesses told him that they observed the helicopter rotate in a counterclockwise direction, but he was confident it rotated clockwise. The witness stated that if he had been sitting in the pilot's seat, the helicopter would have been spinning to the pilot's right. No witnesses observed the helicopter impact the reservoir. According to local authorities, the helicopter was found approximately 10 feet from the shore of the eastern bank of the reservoir completely submerged with the exception of the right skid, which protruded from the water. Small trees, with limb diameters ranging between 1 and 2 inches, were freshly cut along the bank in the vicinity of the helicopter. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and rotorcraft helicopter ratings. Additionally, he held a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings. He held a second class medical certificate dated October 10, 2005, with no limitations. On the application for this medical certificate, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 365 hours of flight time with 60 hours flown in the previous 6 months. The pilot completed MD 530FF Pilot Transition Training at MDHI in Mesa, Arizona, on December 2, 2005. On the application form for this training, dated October 17, 2005, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 62 hours airplane flight time and 430 hours helicopter flight time of which 70 hours were in the accident make and model helicopter. He was issued a Statement of Competency for external load operations by the operator's chief pilot on December 10, 2005, which authorized him to operate "Aircraft and Load Combinations: UH-1 and MD 530FF, Class B & C." Operator personnel reported to the NTSB IIC that the accident flight was the pilot's first solo external load flight. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The McDonnell Douglas 530FF helicopter, S/N 0081F, was powered by one 650-horsepower Rolls-Royce 250-C30 turboshaft engine, S/N CAE 900108. It was operated and maintained by Inter-Island Helicopters at their facility on the Port Allen Airport, Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii. Prior to the accident flight, the airframe had accumulated 1,991.1 hours total time and the engine had accumulated 2,176.2 hours. A 25-hour inspection was performed on the helicopter on the day of the accident. The most recent 100 hour inspection was performed on December 7, 2005, at an airframe total time of 1,914.0 hours. Review of the daily maintenance report sheets for the helicopter from December 5, 2005, to the date of the accident revealed no listings of any uncorrected maintenance discrepancies. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION At 1753, the reported weather conditions at Lihue Airport, located approximately 3 miles southeast of the accident site, were wind from 150 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 2,700 feet agl, temperature 23 degrees C, dew point 17 degrees C, and altimeter setting 30.05 inches. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The helicopter was recovered from the reservoir on December 26, 2005, with the NTSB IIC present. The bucket and line were not attached to the external load hook located on the belly of the helicopter. The helicopter's fuselage remained intact, but sustained impact deformation to its undercarriage in the up direction. The left side of the helicopter, in front of the pilot's seat, sustained the most impact damage in the up and aft direction. The tail boom sustained deformation damage to its left side consistent with the shape of the main rotor blade's leading edge. Yellow paint transfers were noted in the tail boom damage, and were consistent with the yellow color found on the main rotor blades. The horizontal and vertical stabilizer section, with the tail rotor gearbox and tail rotor blades intact and attached, separated from the tail boom about 8 inches forward of the vertical stabilizer's leading edge. The tail rotor gearbox rotated freely when the blades were manually manipulated. The drive shaft was fractured at the tail boom separation point, and the section of drive shaft that stayed with the gearbox displayed a corresponding rotation when the tail rotor blades were manually rotated. The pitch change links for the tail r ## Aircraft - Registration: N530MD (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: McDonnell Douglas 369FF - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 0081FF - Airframe hours: 1991 - Engines: Allison 250-C30 650 horsepower turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: External load, Part 133 - Registered owner: Smoky Mountain Helicopters Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, December 1, 2005, 77 hours before - Departed: Lihue, HI ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 20; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review November 1, 2005; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 492 total, 70 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: LIH, 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 20051225032809A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20051225032809A), Dec 25, 2005: Hughes 369FF, Lihue, HI, Destroyed, 1 fatal. (-23) While attempting to lift a filled bambi bucket from a reservoir the helicopter impacted small trees and the water following an in-flight loss of control.… ## Docket (22 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 6, 2007, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=62987. 21.4 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 429 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280902&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Witness Interviews (item 2, .PDF, 116 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280903&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Interviews-Redacted.PDF - Weather Information (item 3, .PDF, 31 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280904&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Information-Master.PDF - Engine Exam Report by NTSB Investigator (item 4, .PDF, 80 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280905&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Engine%20Exam%20Report%20by%20NTSB%20Investigator-Master.PDF - Pilot Information from MD Helicopters (item 5, .PDF, 112 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280906&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20Information%20from%20MD%20Helicopters-Redacted.PDF - Pilot Information from Operator (item 6, .PDF, 146 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280907&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%20Information%20from%20Operator-Redacted.PDF - Excerpts from Rolls-Royce Report (item 7, .PDF, 406 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280909&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpts%20from%20Rolls-Royce%20Report-Master.PDF - Helicopter Daily Flight Logs 12/5/05 to 12/25/05 (item 8, .PDF, 1.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280910&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Helicopter%20Daily%20Flight%20Logs%2012%2F5%2F05%20to%2012%2F25%2F05-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 9, .PDF, 282 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280912&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 10, .PDF, 80 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280914&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 11, .PDF, 66 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280915&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF - Image 1. Accident site. (item 12, .PDF, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280917&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%201.%20%20Accident%20site.-Master.PDF - Image 2. Cut trees along shore. (item 13, .PDF, 1.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280918&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%202.%20%20Cut%20trees%20along%20shore.-Master.PDF - Image 3. Aft section of tailboom. (item 14, .PDF, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280920&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%203.%20%20Aft%20section%20of%20tailboom.-Master.PDF - Image 4. Tail rotor driveshaft separation. (item 15, .PDF, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280921&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%204.%20%20Tail%20rotor%20driveshaft%20separation.-Master.PDF - Image 5. Main wreckage recovery. (item 16, .PDF, 1.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280922&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%205.%20%20Main%20wreckage%20recovery.-Master.PDF - Image 6. Main wreckage left side. (item 17, .PDF, 1.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280923&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%206.%20%20Main%20wreckage%20left%20side.-Master.PDF - Image 7. Main wreckage right side. (item 18, .PDF, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280924&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%207.%20%20Main%20wreckage%20right%20side.-Master.PDF - Image 8. Main rotor head and blades. (item 19, .PDF, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280925&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%208.%20%20Main%20rotor%20head%20and%20blades.-Master.PDF - Image 9. Bambi Bucket (item 20, .PDF, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280926&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%209.%20%20Bambi%20Bucket-Master.PDF - Image 10. Closeup of Bambi Bucket. (item 21, .PDF, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280927&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%2010.%20%20Closeup%20of%20Bambi%20Bucket.-Master.PDF - Image 11. Cargo hook. (item 22, .PDF, 1.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280928&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%2011.%20%20Cargo%20hook.-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.