- Date
- September 8, 2007, 15:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, SC
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N505RAEurocopter AS-350B2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070908019259A
- Case key
- 66624
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 failure to maintain a proper descent rate during a precautionary landing, which resulted in a settling with power condition and a subsequent hard landing.
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 AS-350B2 helicopter was refueled, and the pilot departed on a repositioning flight. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed that the key for the fuel tank cap was not in the cockpit, and he elected to make a precautionary landing to a soccer field, to check the fuel cap. During the landing approach, the helicopter began to settle, it subsequently landed hard, bounced, and rolled over. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions and stated he thought the helicopter entered into a settling with power condition.
Factual narrative
The AS-350B2 helicopter was refueled, and the pilot departed on a repositioning flight. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed that the key for the fuel tank cap was not in the cockpit, and he elected to make a precautionary landing to a soccer field, to check the fuel cap. During the landing approach, the helicopter began to settle, it subsequently landed hard, bounced, and rolled over. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions and stated he thought the helicopter entered into a settling with power condition. Calm winds were reported at an airport located about 4 miles east of the accident site, about the time of the accident; however, the pilot reported he experienced tailwind gusts during the approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N505RA
- Reported as
- Eurocopter AS-350B2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3800
- Airframe hours
- 1,513
- Engine
- Turbomeca Arriel 1D1, 531 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Omniflight Helicopters Inc.
- Registered owner
- CFS Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 1, 2007
- Departed
- GMU · Greenville, SC
- Destination
- 1GA3 · Blairsville, GA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- GMU · Greenville
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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,400 total · 350 in this make and model · 5,500 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- GMU, 4 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2007, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 748 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.