ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 344983
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| Date: | Monday 28 August 2023 |
| Time: | 08:44 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter EC 135T1 |
| Owner/operator: | Broward County Sheriffs Office (BSO Fire Rescue) |
| Registration: | N109BC |
| MSN: | 0139 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1999 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5557 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pompano Beach, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | Pompano Beach Airport, FL (PPM/KPMP) |
| Pompano Beach Airport, FL (PPM/KPMP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On August 28, 2023, about 0844 eastern daylight time, a Eurocopter Deutschland GMBH EC135T1, N109BC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Pompano Beach, Florida. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. One paramedic onboard and a resident of an apartment building were fatally injured, while a second paramedic onboard was seriously injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air medical flight.
During an interview, the pilot reported that the helicopter was dispatched to transport a patient from the scene of an automobile accident. During initial climb, west of Pompano Beach Airpark (PMP), Pompano Beach, Florida, about 300 to 400 ft above ground level, the pilot heard a “bang” from the rear of the helicopter and noticed that the turbine outlet temperature (TOT) was rising on the No. 1 engine. He set the No.1 engine throttle to idle, declared an emergency to air traffic control, and reversed direction to return to the airport. He scanned the cockpit instrument panel and noticed that the No.1 engine fire button had illuminated. He pressed the button to activate the fire suppression system; however, the TOT continued to rise on the No. 1 engine. The pilot subsequently heard a second “bang,” and was unable to control the helicopter. It spun and descended into an apartment building.
Review of witness video revealed an in-flight fire near the area of the engine exhaust and the tailboom attach point. The tailboom partially separated in-flight and the helicopter descended in a right spin.
The wreckage came to rest on its left side, facing south, through the roof of a one-story apartment building. A postcrash fire consumed a majority of the airframe. The tailboom was located about 30 ft south of the main wreckage and its fenestron (tailrotor) remained intact. All four main rotor blades separated near the blade root, consistent with impact damage. Both engines and their respective full authority digital engine control unit were retained for further examination and data download. Additionally, hydraulic lines for the fenestron actuator, near the taiboom attach point, and the No. 1 engine fuel shutoff valve assembly were also retained for further examination.
The helicopter was manufactured in 1999 and powered by two Turbomeca Arrius 2B1, 670turboshaft horsepower engines. It was maintained under a manufacturer’s approved inspection program. It’s most recent 100-hr inspection was completed on May 23, 2023. At that time, the airframe had accrued 5,557.1 total hours. The engines had accrued 5,327.2 hours since new (2,251.3 hours since overhaul in 2016). The helicopter was operated about 24 hours from the time of the most recent inspection, until the accident.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/28/us/helicopter-crash-pompano-beach-florida/index.html
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/08/28/bso-air-rescue-chopper-crashes-in-pompano-beach/
https://wsvn.com/news/local/broward/4-hospitalized-after-bso-fire-rescue-helicopter-crashes-in-pompano-beach-triplex/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/helicopter-crashed-in-pompano-beach
https://wsvn.com/news/local/broward/2-dead-6-injured-after-bso-fire-rescue-helicopter-crashes-in-pompano-beach-triplex/
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-08-29/broward-air-ambulance-helicopter-crash-kills-two
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=109BC
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N109BC/history/20230828/1242Z/KPMP/KPMP
https://www.helis.com/database/cn/38600/ (history)
https://photos-e1.flightcdn.com/photos/retriever/903d7f65779ada0bc834f99df8d898f7a6a735f8 (photo)
Location
Media:
BREAKING: Police helicopter crashes in Pompano Beach, Florida pic.twitter.com/JKOB1KfCMM
— BNO News (@BNONews) August 28, 2023
#Ongoinbg a BSO Fire Rescue EC-135 [N109BC] crashes in Pompano Beach, Florida (US). First sources state all 3 aboard survived, 2 injured, aircraft destroyed. Video shows helicopter on fire and a tail boom failure before going down in an urban area. Updates when possible. pic.twitter.com/OLUMYrQG4Q
— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) August 28, 2023
🚨#BREAKING: Injuries Reported After a sheriffs rescue Helicopter Spirals Out of Control and Crashes into a apartment building ⁰⁰📌#PompanoBeach | #Florida
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) August 28, 2023
Multiple emergency crews are currently on the scene after a Broward County Sheriff’s Office fire rescue helicopter… pic.twitter.com/YHPJVtn1ol
#BREAKING 1 dead, 4+ injured after Broward County Sheriff's helicopter crashes into Pompano Beach apartment building
— Fast News Network (@fastnewsnet) August 28, 2023
pic.twitter.com/3g65U1p1EN
We’re following reports of a crash of a Broward County Sheriff’s Fire-Rescue helicopter near Pompano Beach, Florida this morning.
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 28, 2023
Video from scene indicates smoke trailing from the helicopter before it crashed.
Initial ADS-B data: https://t.co/meFliKJWUO pic.twitter.com/RVesKjuPic
2 killed in rescue helicopter crash in Florida.
— LWNC (@LwncNews) August 29, 2023
Two people are dead following a Broward County Sheriff's Office fire and rescue helicopter crashed into an apartment building.
One of the people killed was a woman who was in her apartment when the helicopter crashed. pic.twitter.com/W38adpNQXr
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Aug-2023 13:53 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 28-Aug-2023 14:50 | RobertMB | Updated |
| 28-Aug-2023 15:25 | Aerossurance | Updated |
| 28-Aug-2023 16:11 | Anon. | Updated |
| 28-Aug-2023 17:03 | Anon. | Updated |
| 28-Aug-2023 17:33 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 29-Aug-2023 14:22 | Aerossurance | Updated |
| 29-Aug-2023 16:00 | RobertMB | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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