ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 24703
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| Date: | Saturday 19 April 1997 |
| Time: | c. 14:15 |
| Type: |  Sikorsky S-61N |
| Owner/operator: | Coulson Aircrane |
| Registration: | C-GBRF |
| MSN: | 61748 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Stave Lake, BC -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | External load operation |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Earlier that day, the pilots had taken off from the service pad, and resumed heli-logging operations. After 6.5 hours of heli-logging without incident or difficulty, they returned to the service pad at 1345 for midday maintenance, refuelling, and crew relief. At 1415 Pacific daylight time (PDT) the two pilots of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter, took off from the Stave Lake airstrip, British Columbia, to return to heli-logging operations in an area about two nautical miles (nm) from the airstrip. Following four uneventful lifting cycles, while manoeuvring over the logging area, the aircraft started an uncommanded, nose-down attitude change that the pilot was unable to counteract with rearward cyclic control. Seconds later, cyclic control returned. The pilot, flying from the left seat, attempted another approach from a different direction with the same result. The pilot and co-pilot then assessed that they had significant flight control problems and decided to return to the airstrip to carry out a running landing. The pilot established a slow and shallow final approach path profile to land at the airstrip. The helicopter then approached the intended landing site with a slight nose-up attitude, at a ground speed of 10 to 15 knots, and about 10 feet above the ground. When the pilot began to level the helicopter, the nose continued to pitch down quickly. The pilot applied collective pitch and rearward cyclic, but the helicopter descended nose-down into the trees at the end of the airstrip and rolled over, coming to rest on its left side. The pilot was seriously injured, and the co-pilot was fatally injured. There was no fire and the helicopter was substantially damaged.
The pilots experienced a loss of rearward cyclic pitch control, at a height from which they could not recover before striking the ground. The reason for this loss of control could not be determined.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1997/a97p0094/a97p0094.asp
http://web.archive.org/web/20151014192805/http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/publications/tp202-3-97-397-3395.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 05-Sep-2009 05:43 | harro | Updated |
| 01-Sep-2014 12:23 | Aerossurance | Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative] |
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