ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 368751
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| Date: | Saturday 20 May 1989 |
| Time: | 17:00 LT |
| Type: |  Aerospatiale AS350D |
| Owner/operator: | Papillion Helicopters |
| Registration: | N6003S |
| MSN: | 1552 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2203 hours |
| Engine model: | LYCOMING LTS-101 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Waialae Falls, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Princeville, HI (HPV) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE ON-DEMAND AIR TAXI HELICOPTER WAS ON A LOCAL SIGHTSEEING FLT TO WAIALAE FALLS WITH SIX PAX ABOARD. ELEVATION OF THE FALLS WAS ABOUT 3000 FT. AFTER HOVERING AT LOW ALT NEAR THE FALLS, THE PLT BEGAN A PEDAL TURN & BEGAN FORWARD MOVEMENT FOR THE INITIAL CLIMB AWAY FROM THE FALLS. THE MAIN ROTOR RPM DECAYED & THE PLT TURNED BACK TOWARD THE UPPER FALLS, WHERE HE THOUGHT HE COULD LAND. HOWEVER, THE HELICOPTER SETTLED INTO A RAVINE, IMPACTED ROCKS & CAME TO REST. AN EXAM OF THE ENG FUEL CONTROL REVEALED THE MAXIMUM STOP WAS SET AT 93% VERSUS 99% AS SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER. ALSO, THE GOVERNOR BREAK WAS SET 400 RPM EARLY, THERE WAS NO SEAL ON THE METERING VALVE SLEEVE & THE SAFETY WIRE THRU THE GOVERNOR ADJUSTMENT HAD BEEN CUT & NOT REPLACED.
Probable Cause: IMPROPER MAINTENANCE/ADJUSTMENT OF THE ENGINE FUEL CONTROL UNIT BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, WHICH RESULTED IN A SLIGHT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM, WHILE TURNING AND TAKING OFF FROM A HOVER WITH A RELATIVELY HEAVY GROSS WEIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AND ROUGH/UNEVEN (ROCKY) TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX89LA197
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Mar-2024 07:03 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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