ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 31123
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| Date: | Saturday 23 November 1996 |
| Time: | 15:15 LT |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 355F-1 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | State Of New Mexico |
| Registration: | N606SP |
| MSN: | 5230 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4006 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20R |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Taos, New Mexico -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Santa Fe, NM (KSAF) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the public use helicopter search and rescue mission to locate and recover a deceased victim from the bottom of a canyon (650 feet deep). Winds from the west at 5 to 10 mph and throughout the day several trips were conducted into the canyon. Upon receiving notification of the location and preparedness to remove the victim, the pilot flew the helicopter to the canyon and hovered the helicopter with a portion of the left skid on a boulder. The rescue team loaded the litter into the cabin on the left side of the helicopter. As the litter was being secured and one of the rescue team members was climbing on board, 'a gust of wind caused the helicopter to yaw to the right.' As the pilot 'attempted to regain directional control, the skid started to slip on the rock, the tail pitched downward, and the vertical fin and tail rotor struck a rock.' The pilot secured the engines and set the helicopter down, straddling a boulder.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A factor was terrain induced turbulence.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97TA046
FAA register: 3. http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=606SP
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 07-Feb-2012 15:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-Jul-2014 18:14 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 31-Jan-2022 09:03 | BEAVERSPOTTER | Updated [Aircraft type, Country] |
| 31-Jan-2022 09:03 | harro | Updated [Country] |
| 08-Apr-2024 17:54 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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