ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 38229
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| Date: | Tuesday 27 September 1994 |
| Time: | 20:43 |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas AH-64A Apache |
| Owner/operator: | McDonnell Douglas Helicopter |
| Registration: | 90-0324 |
| MSN: | PV270 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mesa, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Chandler, AZ (IWA) |
| (AZ81) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A TEST HELICOPTER (MCDONNELL DOUGLAS AH-64D, WITH 1 VHF RADIO) AND A CHASE HELICOPTER (MCDONNELL DOUGLAS 520N, WITH 2 VHF RADIOS) WERE ON A NIGHT VFR FLIGHT FROM CHANDLER, AZ, TO THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELIPORT AT MESA, AZ. THE MISSION OF THE CHASE CREW (CHASE) WAS TO SURVEIL THE AREA FOR THE TEST CREW (LEAD) AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION CONCERNING OTHER AIR TRAFFIC OR HAZARDS. THE DESTINATION HELIPORT WAS LOCATED JUST NORTH OF FALCON FIELD. DURING ARRIVAL, LEAD NOTIFIED CHASE OF A VHF FREQUENCY CHANGE TO THE FALCON FIELD TOWER (ATCT) FREQUENCY. CHASE ACKNOWLEDGED; THIS WAS THE LAST KNOWN TRANSMISSION FROM CHASE. LEAD THEN CHANGED TO THE HELIPORT'S 'APACHE RAMP CONTROL' FREQUENCY. THE GROUND CONTROL RADIO OPERATOR, MONITORING THE FREQUENCY, CLEARED THE HELICOPTER(S) TO LAND ON RUNWAY 22 AT THE HELIPORT. SOON THEREAFTER, THE CHASE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH THE LEAD HELICOPTER. DURING THE MIDAIR COLLISION, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES OF CHASE STRUCK THE LEFT WING AND WING STORES OF LEAD. LEAD CONTINUED TO A SAFE LANDING, BUT THE MAIN ROTOR SEPARATED FROM THE CHASE HELICOPTER, AND IT CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE CHASE HELICOPTER HAD CONVERGED ON THE LEAD HELICOPTER FROM THE LEFT REAR QUADRANT. AN EXPLETIVE OF AN UNKNOWN SOURCE WAS TRANSMITTED ON THE ATCT FREQUENCY AT ABOUT THE TIME OF THE MIDAIR COLLISION. TESTS OF THE RADIOS FROM THE CHASE HELICOPTER REVEALED THEY WERE BOTH ON THE ATCT FREQUENCY. CAUSE: FAILURE OF THE CHASE HELICOPTER PILOT TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM THE LEAD HELICOPTER DURING A NIGHT APPROACH TO LAND. POSSIBLE FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, AND INADEQUATE RADIO COORDINATION BETWEEN FLIGHT CREWS OF THE TWO HELICOPTERS.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001206X02276
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 08-Sep-2010 12:49 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Nature] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 12-Oct-2021 18:59 | harro | Updated [Registration] |
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