ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 370484
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| Date: | Thursday 14 June 2001 |
| Time: | 02:00 LT |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350BA |
| Owner/operator: | Liberty Helicopters |
| Registration: | N555LH |
| MSN: | 3018 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1997 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4804 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca Arriel 1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hopewell, NJ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Philadelphia International Airport, PA (PHL/KPHL) |
| New York, NY (KJRA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot departed in a helicopter with seven passengers, on a night VFR cross-country flight under FAR 135, into known deteriorating weather conditions. About 35 minutes after departure, while maneuvering in IMC conditions, the helicopter struck trees, and came to rest about 735 feet from initial tree contact. The flight had been one of two helicopters that had carried passengers to the departure airport. The pilot of the other helicopter made three contacts with flight service for weather briefings, and relayed his finding to the accident pilot. The briefings included VFR flight not recommended, and deteriorating weather. The company operations manual called for a minimum weather of a 500 foot ceiling and 1 mile visibility, and that to operate VFR, the pilot had to have visual surface reference. The pilot reported that he entered IMC conditions and was attempting to perform a precautionary landing when the tail rotor struck a tree. The pilot also reported that after the accident, he estimated the ceiling was about 100 feet high and the visibility was about 1 mile at the accident site. Radar data tracked the flight as the pilot maneuvered between 300 feet MSL, and 1,300 feet MSL, and then descended toward a nearby airport. However, due to terrain, there was no radar of the last portion of the flight. A pilot rated passenger seated in the front row, reported the pilot entered into IMC conditions, and maneuvered in IMC conditions for several minutes. He also said the helicopter was in IMC conditions, in cruise flight when it struck trees. The departure weight exceeded the maximum allowable takeoff weight by about 115 pounds and also exceeded the forward CG limit. Additionally, the passengers reported no pre-departure passenger briefing had been conducted.
Probable Cause: the pilot's improper decision to continue flight in instrument meteorological conditions, and which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees. Factors were the fog, and dark night conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC01LA144
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 21 July 2008 | C-GRHL | Remote Helicopters Ltd. | 0 | Nueltin Lake |  |
sub |
| 21 February 2014 | C-GRHL | Private | 0 | Slave Lake Airport, Alberta | |
w/o |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Mar-2024 11:13 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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