ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 281129
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 3 August 2022 |
| Time: | 18:45 LT |
| Type: |  Airbus Helicopters H125 (AS 350B3e) |
| Owner/operator: | San Bernardino Sheriffs Department |
| Registration: | N833SB |
| MSN: | 8435 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2017 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2054 hours |
| Engine model: | Safran Arriel 2D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chino Airport (CNO/KCNO), CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | San Bernardino International Airport, CA (SBD/KSBD) |
| Chino, CA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the helicopter reported that, he noticed a slight bounce during flight that felt like an out of balance main rotor blade. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport as the helicopter began to shake aggressively with a whipping noise hear. During the approach, the shaking worsened, and the pilot elected to perform a run-on landing at the airport. During the following inspection, it was revealed that the main rotor blades were substantially damaged due to delamination. There was also evidence of impact marks near the tip blades that was consistent with contact with vegetation.
The operator reported that, 2 days before the accident flight, the blades may have impacted vegetation during an “off-site' landing. According to that pilot, while the front left seat passenger was exiting the helicopter, she inadvertently sat down on the left side collective, pushing it to the full-down position. The helicopter rolled backwards suddenly, resulting in the heels of the skids to contact the ground. The pilot corrected the helicopter's attitude and checked that the collective's movement was normal. The helicopter was shut down shortly after and tail and main rotor blades were inspected by the pilot who reported that he didn't see any evidence of impact at that time. Maintenance personnel inspected the helicopter following the flight and no statements or writeup was found during the investigation. The three pilots that flew the helicopter after the unidentified impact all reported that they felt a slight bounce in the helicopter at speeds of approximately 115 knots and thought that it was a slight out of balance/track rotor and was not that significant.
Probable Cause: The subsequent delamination of the main rotor blades as a result of an unidentified main rotor blade impact with vegetation during a previous flight by another pilot.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR22LA291
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N833SB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Aug-2022 14:29 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 05-Aug-2022 17:46 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-May-2023 00:04 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Time, Aircraft type, Source, Narrative]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation