- Date
- March 4, 2008, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Linden, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Other
- Aircraft
- N152TAEurocopter France AS350B1
- Defining event
- Other: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Teterboro FSDO-25
- FAA report
- 20080304013089A
- Case key
- 67606
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 pilot's improper preflight preparation and his failure to maintain control of the helicopter.
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 pilot stated that he was taking off from a dolly for a track and balance maintenance flight. He said that while hover taxiing the right door blew open. Shortly thereafter, he noticed that his clipboard was about to fall out of the helicopter. He quickly tried to transfer his left hand to the cyclic so that he could use his right hand to stop the clipboard from falling. He said that he put in too much aft cyclic and the tail guard struck the ground. Examination by a FAA inspector revealed that the tail boom was buckled. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies prior to the accident
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was taking off from a dolly for a track and balance maintenance flight. He said that while hover taxiing the right door blew open. Shortly thereafter, he noticed that his clipboard was about to fall out of the helicopter. He quickly tried to transfer his left hand to the cyclic so that he could use his right hand to stop the clipboard from falling. He said that he put in too much aft cyclic and the tail guard struck the ground. Examination by a FAA inspector revealed that the tail boom was buckled. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies prior to the accident
Aircraft
- Registration
- N152TA
- Reported as
- Eurocopter France AS350B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2241
- Airframe hours
- 16,479
- Engine
- Turbomeca Arrial 1 D, 732 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Liberty Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Meridian Consulting Co Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2008 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- LDJ · Linden, NJ
- Destination
- LDJ · Linden, NJ
- Airport
- LDJ · Linden
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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,750 total · 750 in this make and model · 1,700 as pilot in command · 109 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 15 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- EWR, 5 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.