ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 311330
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| Date: | Sunday 23 April 2023 |
| Time: | 13:40 |
| Type: |  AgustaWestland AW119Kx Koala II |
| Owner/operator: | Kestrel Aviation Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | VT-RNK |
| MSN: | 14841 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2015 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2363 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kedarnath Helipad -
 India
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Kedarnath Helipad |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB India |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Kestrel Aviation AgustaWestland AW119Kx Koala II helicopter VT-RNK was picking up the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) team from the Kedarnath helipad when one passenger walked into the rotating tail rotor and sustained fatal injuries.
The helicopter with the pilot and a ground handler on board had landed at Kedarnath Helipad. It was also carrying some items to be offloaded at Kedarnath helipad. The 3 passengers along with UCADA officials were waiting at the helipad to
board the helicopter. After landing the pilot asked the passengers to stop approaching the helicopter by raising his hand. Thereafter, the ground handler deboarded the helicopter and started offloading the items from the left-hand side of the helicopter. After offloading the items, the ground handler came to the right side and opened the right-side door for boarding of passengers. The ground handler then moved towards the left side to close the LH door.
The 3 passengers along with other UCADA officials escorting them started approaching the helicopter and one of the passengers suddenly started moving towards rear of the helicopter from the right side of the helicopter to go towards the left side of the helicopter. The passenger came in contact with running tail rotor blades and received fatal injuries.
Probable Cause of the Accident
The accident occurred as the passenger while approaching for boarding from front right side suddenly moved towards the rear of the helicopter and came in contact with running tail rotors.
The following factors contributed to the accident:
- Safety briefing of passengers was not carried out before boarding as per SOP.
- SOPs were not followed for escorting the passengers for embarkation.
- There is no single entity or organization that is responsible for overall supervision of flight operations at Kedarnath helipad to ensure safety and security of flight operations being carried out at Kedarnath helipad.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/man-dies-after-being-hit-by-blades-of-chopper-in-uttarakhands-kedarnath-3972327
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/6/56879_1481821038.jpg (photo)
History of this aircraft
Ex N561SH
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Apr-2023 08:25 | Rotor Work | Added |
| 01-Dec-2023 15:55 | harro | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Departure airport, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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