Date:	Tuesday 11 October 1994
Time:	13:51 LT
Type:	Aérospatiale AS 350B
Owner/operator:	The Helicopter Line
Registration:	ZK-HZP
MSN:	1243
Year of manufacture:	1980
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 6
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	sea off Needle Rock, Waikato -   New Zealand
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Survey
Departure airport:	Matarangi, NZ
Destination airport:	Pauanui, NZ
Investigating agency:	TAIC
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
The helicopter flew into the sea near Needle Rock after encountering hydraulic jack stall*. The crash seriously injured the pilot and killed two of the five passengers.

*Jack stall - also referred to as servo transparency by Eurocopter - is a known characteristic of this hydraulic servo. In summary, it occurs when the helicopter is being manoeuvred and the rotor is loaded to the point where the servos can no longer overcome the associated aerodynamic forces, resulting in feedback through the flight controls, which may become unmanageable.

The TAIC investigation found no indication of hydraulic system or flight control malfunction. (Transport Accident Investigation Commission of New Zealand report 94-022)

1. https://taic.org.nz/AviationReports/tabid/78/ctl/Detail/mid/482/InvNumber/1994-022/Page/17/Default.aspx
2. http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/rescue.html
3. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://coptercrazy.brinkster.net/search/se350show.asp?start=201&count=50]
4. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=42861
5. http://c66.203.200.38.tidc.telus.com/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2005/a05f0025/a05f0025_sec3.asp

Aérospatiale AS 350B Ecureuil ZK-HZP at Mechanics Bay (NZMB) 11 January 1992

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Apr-2009 22:47	XLerate	Added
19-Jan-2011 08:17	harro	Updated [Operator, Damage]
03-Jul-2014 19:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
08-Oct-2021 14:05	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
11-Feb-2022 19:29	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
12-Feb-2022 09:26	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]