ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 294607
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: | Tuesday 24 August 2004 |
| Time: | 14:30 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 212 |
| Owner/operator: | Weyerhaeuser Company |
| Registration: | N181W |
| MSN: | 35058 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5551 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-3B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Umpire, Arkansas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Wickes, AR |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The 3,807-hour helciopter pilot had just departed a private heliport on a hot day approximately 70 pounds under the certified gross weight. The pilot stated that the take-off was normal and the helicopter climbed slowly. He then increased the climb rate with a slight rearward cyclic movement. The helicopter responded by initially climbing then it immediately began to descend. During the descent, the pilot attempted to dump the chemical load, but reported that the dump doors failed to operate until his fourth try. Shortly thereafter, the main rotor blades struck trees and the helicopter descended to the ground and came to rest in an upright position. Examination of the helicopter and the dump valves revealed no mechanical deficiencies. Interpolation of the published Hover Ceiling in Ground Effect performance chart revealed that the helicopter was within the performance envelope. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, pages 11-5 to 11-7, Vortex Ring State (Settling with Power), "Vortex ring state describes an areodynamic condition where a helicopter may be in a vertical descent with up to maximum power applied, and little, or no cyclic authority. The term 'settling with power' comes from the fact that the helicopter keeps settling even though full engine power is applied." The investigator-in-charge (IIC) calculated the density altitude at 3,155 feet.
Probable Cause: The pilot's encounter with settling with power resulting in a loss of control. A contributing factor was the high density altitude.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW04LA220
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 5 August 2012 | PR-HRY | Tefé, AM |  |
unk | ||
| Fuel starvation | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Oct-2022 06:52 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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