ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 179315
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| Date: | Thursday 3 September 2015 |
| Time: | 17:52 |
| Type: |  Hughes 369HS |
| Owner/operator: | Whirlwide Helicopters Inc |
| Registration: | N9068F |
| MSN: | 21-0293S |
| Year of manufacture: | 1971 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 300nm E of Manra Island, Kiribati -
 Pacific Ocean
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Manra Island, Kiribati |
| Manra Island | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
According to an operator representative, the commercial pilot and passenger/spotter were conducting fish-spotting duties. The operator reported that, about 16 minutes after the helicopter departed from the fishing vessel, the fishing vessel’s radio operator reported losing contact with the helicopter. Vessel personnel then located the helicopter upside down in the water and initiated rescue operations.
The passenger reported that “the helicopter went wrong in the air and started rolling over and fell into the water.” The pilot was fatally injured as his personal life vest, which was equipped to self-inflate upon submerging in water, interfered with his ability to evacuate the helicopter as it rolled over. The passenger evacuated the helicopter and was rescued shortly after. He reported that he saw that the pilot’s life vest had inflated inside the helicopter and that the pilot was struggling to exit and then stopped moving. After the passenger was transported to a hospital, he was not available for further questioning. The pilot’s personal life vest, which was equipped to self-inflate when submerged in water, likely prevented him from evacuating the helicopter as it rolled over. After the accident, the operator advised its pilots not to use this type of life vest and to use the company-issued flotation life vests.
The helicopter subsequently sank and was not recovered. The reason for the flight upset and descentloss of helicopter control could not be determined.
Probable Cause: A The loss of helicopter control for reasons that could not be determined asbecause the helicopter sank in the oceanwater and was not recovered.
Sources:
NTSB WPR15LA257
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=9068F
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-06-01/hansen-helo-execs-charged-fraud-money-laundering
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 6 December 1997 | N9068F | Macaw Aviation | 0 | Saipan Island |  |
w/o |
| Heavy landing | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Sep-2015 12:05 | gerard57 | Added |
| 06-Sep-2015 14:29 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 15-Sep-2015 11:11 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Narrative] |
| 18-Sep-2015 23:53 | Geno | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 18-Sep-2015 23:54 | Geno | Updated [Date] |
| 21-Sep-2015 14:11 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 05-Nov-2017 08:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Jun-2018 19:57 | Aerossurance | Updated [Other fatalities, Source] |
| 28-Sep-2023 03:05 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Other fatalities, Source]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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