# NTSB WPR18WA110: Eurocopter EC120, Hardy Reef, Queensland, Australia, March 21, 2018

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Foreign investigation
- Date: March 21, 2018
- Place: Hardy Reef, Queensland, Australia
- Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Approach-VFR go-around: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 2 fatal, 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Status: Led by another country's authority
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Lead agency: Other
- NTSB case key (mKey): 96905
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR18WA110
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/96905/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18WA110

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Approach-VFR go-around: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md)

## Factual narrative

On March 21, 2018, about 1500 local time, a Eurocopter (Airbus Helicopters) EC120B helicopter, VH-WII, sustained substantial damage when it impacted water during an aborted landing attempt on a floating helicopter landing site (HLS) located between Hardy Reef and Hook Reef, in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Queensland, Australia. The helicopter was operated by Whitsunday Air Services Pty Ltd, and had departed Hamilton Island Airport, Queensland, on a charter flight to the HLS. The commercial pilot was uninjured, two passengers received minor injuries, and two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Australia. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by the Government of Australia. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) P.O. Box 967, Civic Square Canberra A.C.T. 2608 Australia Tel: +612 6274 6054 Fax: +612 6274 6434 www.atsb.gov.au

## Aircraft

- Registration: VH-WII (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: EUROCOPTER EC120 (B)
- Category: Helicopter
- Engines: Turbomeca Amus 2F turbo shaft
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operator: Whitsunday Air Services
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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