LAX96TA187

The pilot reported that he was proceeding eastbound about 50 feet above ground level, when something on the ground got his attention. He initiated a left turn, then started a sweeping right turn to position the helicopter for a better obversation of tracks on the ground. The wind at that time was estimated to be variable from southeast to the south-southwest at 20 mph with gusts to 25 to 30 mph. The pilot reported that during the last stage of the right turn, he lost control of the helicopter, and it collided with the ground. The pilot remembered that the helicopter fishtailed and porpoised before it impacted. Also, there was no reported mechanical problem before the accident, nor was the rotor rpm determined before impact.

On May 2, 1996, at 1022 hours mountain standard time, a Hughes 369 helicopter, N5184C, collided with the terrain near Yuma, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot received minor injuries. The aircraft is owned and operated by the U.S. Border Patrol and was on a local surveillance operation.

According to the pilot, he was flying slowly in an eastward direction about 50 feet above the ground when he saw something on the ground. He initiated a left turn then started a right turn to position the aircraft to better observe the tracks on the ground. The wind was about 20 mph, fluctuating from the southeast to the south-southwest with gusts of 25 to 30 mph. He remembers being in the last phase of the downwind turn to the right when the aircraft began fishtailing, the tailboom porpoising, and then striking the ground. He stated he lost control during the last stage of the turn and crashed on the right side.

The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the aircraft prior to the accident.