ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 225308
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| Date: | Tuesday 21 May 2019 |
| Time: | 10:30 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B JetRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | Jayrow Helicopters Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | VH-FHW |
| MSN: | 2838 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kakadu National Park, NT -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 21 May 2019, while engaged in a planned cull of feral animals in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, a crew of three were using a Bell 206B3 JetRanger helicopter for aerial platform shooting. While the helicopter was operating at about 50 ft above the ground, the engine decelerated to idle, resulting in an immediate loss of power, and subsequent collision with terrain. The three occupants (pilot, shooter and spotter) were seriously injured.
The ATSB found that the engine power loss was due to a leak created by a loose union on an engine reference air line. During maintenance 4 days prior to install a power turbine governor (PTG), the union, which was downstream of the work completed, had not been checked for tightness. Potentially associated with distractions in the hangar at the time, an independent inspection following installation of the PTG was probably not conducted, and document verification processes did not detect that the independent inspection had not been recorded.
The cabin was not well prepared for the subsequent collision with terrain, with a range of factors exacerbating the occupants’ injuries or increasing risk. For example, the Director of National Parks required shooters and spotters to wear helmets, but helmets were not provided or used on a routine basis. Safety issues were also identified with the ambiguous wording of the instrument permitting harness use (issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority), and renewal of aerial platform shooting approvals without recurrent emergency training.
Additionally, the ATSB found that the Director of National Parks did not actively manage the risk of the aerial culling task, or effectively supervise the operation. As a result, an increase in the number of crew, a change in helicopter type and change of helicopter operator all progressed without requisite risk management. This exposed crew to avoidable harm during low-level aerial shooting operations.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-21/helicopter-crash-kakadu-national-park/11134820
https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/helicopter-crash-in-kakadu-national-park-leaves-three-trapped-and-injured-in-wreckage-ng-b881206389z
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2019/aair/ao-2019-025/
https://www.airliners.net/photo/Jayrow-Helicopters/Bell-206B-3-JetRanger-III/577628/L
Images:
Photo: ATSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-May-2019 05:37 | gerard57 | Added |
| 21-May-2019 06:59 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source] |
| 22-May-2019 17:57 | Kardz | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-May-2019 20:43 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 22-May-2019 20:43 | RobertMB | Updated [Source] |
| 23-May-2019 05:58 | Aerossurance | Updated [Nature, Narrative] |
| 23-May-2019 05:58 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative] |
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