- Date
- June 27, 1991, 14:05 local (21:05 UTC)
- Place
- Index, WA
- Injuries
- 3 serious, 2 minor; on the ground: 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N6959RSikorsky S-64E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910627024349A
- Case key
- 41323
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 control interference by the mechanic when he inadvertently raised the collective pitch and the copilot's failure to attend the flight controls. Factors relating to the accident were the motion sickness of the mechanic, inadequate collective pitch control locking mechanism utilized by the company, and administrative tasks that diverted the co-pilot's attention from attending the flight controls.
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 acft was on an external load logging opn and the PIC had landed at a field site to refuel. The PIC exited, with the acft running at full RPM while it was being refueled, and the copilot remained in the right seat completing load reports. The acft controls were unattended. The crew chief was seated in the aft facing hoist opr station, which had the collective pitch stick installed beside the seat. He had become air sick during the flt, and remained seated after the PIC exited. When he attempted to exit, which required that he stand, turn around and step up out of the seat well, the acft took off to a hover and rotated to the left. The tail rotor struck a rotor blade box on top of a support trailer parked by the refueling site, fracturing the aft tail boom, pylon and tail rotor from the acft. The acft pitched nose down, rolled over and impacted the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6959R
- Reported as
- Sikorsky S-64E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 64002
- Engine
- P&W JFTD12A4A, 4,500 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Erickson Air Crane Co.
- Registered owner
- Erickson Air Crane Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- NONE · Index, WA
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 9,000 in this make and model · 15,000 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 48 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAE, 38 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.