- Date
- October 16, 2021, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N544AMAirbus A350
- Defining event
- Landing: Ground collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Scottsdale FSDO
- FAA report
- 20211016019809A
- Case key
- 104137
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 ground equipment during landing.
Findings · 3
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 operator reported that, during the landing for the air medical helicopter flight, the tail rotor blades collided with a large fire extinguisher that was located on the approach path and abeam a perimeter fence. The helicopter subsequently landed without further incident. The tailboom and horizontal stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N544AM
- Reported as
- Airbus A350 (B3)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4206
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 7,571
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARRIEL 2B1, 747 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- Air Meathods Corp
- Registered owner
- Air Meathods Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · October 12, 2021 · 0.5 hours before
- Departed
- N/A · Nogales, AZ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- AZ37 · Tucson Medical Center, runway H1, 100 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Video recording device
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 18, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,188 total · 161 in this make and model · 2,336 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Icing
- Unknown
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KDMA, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KDMA 161958Z AUTO 13016KT 10SM CLR 30/M01 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP136 T02991015 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 21, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB 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.