- Date
- June 3, 2007, 15:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Concord, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N623MBCalstar 1 Eurocopter BO-105S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070603008169A
- Case key
- 65919
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 clearance from an object during hover. Trees were a factor.
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
During an emergency response to a roadside accident site, the helicopter experienced an in-flight collision with a tree that resulted in a main rotor strike. The Director of Flight Operations reported that the pilot had chosen a landing spot that had a tree on the southwest (SW) side of the road and a tree on the northeast (NE) side of the road. As the pilot came to a hover over the landing site, he was looking left and forward up the road to confirm that the area was secure. As he was looking toward the left front, he heard a discernable noise change from the rotor system, although there was no change in aircraft handling or any abnormal instrument indications. He looked to the right and observed that he was closer to the NE tree than he wanted to be. He then observed a broken branch on the NE tree. After a normal shut down, a visual inspection showed damage to the outer three to five inches of the trailing edge of the three main rotor blades.
Factual narrative
During an emergency response to a roadside accident site, the helicopter experienced an in-flight collision with a tree that resulted in a main rotor strike. The Director of Flight Operations reported that the pilot had chosen a landing spot that had a tree on the southwest (SW) side of the road and a tree on the northeast (NE) side of the road. As the pilot came to a hover over the landing site, he was looking left and forward up the road to confirm that the area was secure. As he was looking toward the left front, he heard a discernable noise change from the rotor system, although there was no change in aircraft handling or any abnormal instrument indications. He looked to the right and observed that he was closer to the NE tree than he wanted to be. He then observed a broken branch on the NE tree. After a normal shut down, a visual inspection showed damage to the outer three to five inches of the trailing edge of the three main rotor blades.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N623MB
- Reported as
- Calstar 1 Eurocopter BO-105S
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- BO105CBS-5
- Engines
- Rolls-Royce CAE 835231, turbo shaftRolls-Royce CAE 821234, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- California Shock Trauma Rescue Air Rescue
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CCR · Concord, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- CCR · Concord
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 7,700 total · 1,700 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F
- Observed at
- CCR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.