ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 369030
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| Date: | Sunday 26 March 1989 |
| Time: | 14:33 LT |
| Type: |  Aerospatiale AS-355-F |
| Owner/operator: | Care, Inc |
| Registration: | N84MH |
| MSN: | 5173 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2385 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bear Valley, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Modesto, CA |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE EMERG MED SVC (EMS/MEDIVAC) FLT DEPARTED MODESTO HOSPITAL TO TRANSPORT A PATIENT FROM BEAR VALLEY, CA. THE PILOT MADE AN APCH TO THE BEAR VALLEY STOLPORT FROM THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST. ELEV OF THE STOLPORT WAS 7073'. DRG THE APCH AT SLOW SPEED, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO YAW TO THE LEFT. THE PLT APPLIED RGT PEDAL, BUT TO NO AVAIL. HE LOWERED THE NOSE TO BEGIN A GO-AROUND, BUT THE YAW BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. THE PLT THEN SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGS & MADE AN AUTOROTATION. JUST BEFORELANDING, LOOSE SNOW WAS BLOWN UP & WHITEOUT CONDITIONS OCCURRED. DRG TOUCHDOWN, THE HELICOPTER PITCHED FORWARD INTO A SNOWBANK & WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS LIGHT & VARIABLE. A SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST AT 5 TO 10 KTS. THE INVESTGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A TAIL ROTOR DRIVE MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
Probable Cause: IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DURING A SLOW SPEED, DOWNWIND APPROACH TO A HIGH ALTITUDE STOLPORT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, TAILWIND, IMPROPER WEATHER EVALUATION BY THE PILOT, SNOW COVERED TERRAIN, WHITEOUT CONDITIONS BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, AND THE SNOWBANK.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX89FA136
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Mar-2024 10:06 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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