ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 188632
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| Date: | Monday 11 July 2016 |
| Time: | 18:50 |
| Type: |  Bell 429 GlobalRanger |
| Owner/operator: | Delaware State Police |
| Registration: | N1SP |
| MSN: | 57184 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2013 |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207D1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Delaware Coastal Airport, Georgetown, DE -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Aerial patrol |
| Departure airport: | Georgetown-Sussex County Airport, DE (GED/KGED) |
| Georgetown-Sussex County Airport, DE (GED/KGED) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The purpose of the flight was for an emergency response team to complete recurrent rescue hoist training from the helicopter. The three-person team included a rescue specialist, a system operator, and a safety officer. Each crewmember needed to complete 3 evolutions in each position to complete the recurrent training. During an evolution, the system operator would be positioned on the helicopter's skid while the rescue specialist would be lowered from, then picked up and brought back into, the helicopter as it hovered about 100 ft above ground level. After three evolutions, the pilot would land the helicopter; the crew would rotate positions and restart the process. According to a rescue checklist, the security of each member's safety harness was checked before each takeoff.
The accident flight was the seventh evolution of the day, and the first flight where the fatally-injured crewmember acted as the system operator. The safety officer and rescue specialist reported they checked and verified that the restraints were secure. The helicopter then lifted off the ground, moved to the practice area, and the system operator requested and was granted permission by the pilot to move to the helicopter skid. The system operator stepped onto the skid and fell from the helicopter. The pilot stated that throughout the accident sequence, the crew was not rushing while they completed the checklists.
Examination of the system operator's equipment did not reveal any failures or malfunctions that would explain the fall. Additionally, examination of the tether to the helicopter did not reveal any abnormalities. In the absence of any equipment failure, it is likely that the system operator was not fastened to the helicopter.
Probable Cause: The emergency response team's failure to ensure that the system operator was secured to the helicopter, which resulted in his fall during the recurrent rescue hoist training operation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=1SP
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/fatal-fall-b429-hoist-training
Location
Media:
#OTD in 2016: A hoist operator fatally falls from a Police B429 during training in Delaware.https://t.co/R6MVAlIbVP #searchandrescue #sar #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety #nstb pic.twitter.com/PBR5eqFqWS
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) July 11, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jul-2016 21:59 | Geno | Added |
| 05-Aug-2016 10:49 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Feb-2018 17:17 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative] |
| 18-Feb-2018 16:45 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 19-Feb-2018 07:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Jul-2020 09:54 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 31-May-2023 04:09 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Operator, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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