ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 368657
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| Date: | Friday 13 May 2022 |
| Time: | 21:00 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter-Kawasaki BK-117B-2 |
| Owner/operator: | Mercy Flight Central Holding LLC |
| Registration: | N370SS |
| MSN: | 7133 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1987 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Strong Memorial Hospital Heliport (2NY5), Rochester, NY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | Strong Memorial Hospital Heliport, NY (2NY5) |
| Strong Memorial Hospital Heliport, NY (2NY5) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On May 13, 2022, about 2100 eastern daylight time, a Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BK117 B-2 helicopter, N370SS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at the Strong Memorial Hospital Heliport, Rochester, New York. The commercial pilot and two crewmembers were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air ambulance flight.
After the pilot of the air medical helicopter landed, the medical crew boarded and he prepared the helicopter for takeoff. The pilot stated that he was adjusting a light switch while his right hand was on the cyclic control when he heard a loud “bang.” He subsequently noticed that the rod from the airframe-mounted wire cutter was bouncing back and forth. The pilot then shut down the engines and the crew exited the helicopter. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed substantial damage to the main rotor blades that was consistent with them having contacted the wire cutter. The examinations otherwise did not reveal evidence of any anomalies of the flight control system that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, while the pilot indicated that he was holding the cyclic control at the time of the event, given the damage to the helicopter and the lack of anomalous findings with the flight control system, nor the existence other external influences like substantive wind, it is likely that he inadvertently moved the cyclic, which resulted in the main rotor briefly moving into a position where it contacted the wire cutter.
Probable Cause: An unintentional movement of the cyclic control before takeoff, which resulted the main rotor blades contacting the fixed wire cutter.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105085
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Mar-2024 22:45 | Captain Adam | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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