David Learmount/LONDON
See also Loss of Control
Individual turbine-helicopter accident details have been supplied by Airclaims* from its World Airline Accident Summary (WAAS), which it compiles and publishes on behalf of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The WAAS also provides analysis by category under aircraft type, event, location and operator, and the publication benefits from Airclaims' exclusive information-exchange agreement with the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK)Commission for Flight Safety.
Although we make every effort to ensure the listing of complete and accurate data, users should not employ the information for legal purposes or precise statistical analysis. The availability of data is prejudiced by the fact that some remote-area operators involved in high-risk helicopter work, particularly with light or low value helicopters, do not insure their airframes, so accidents are not reported. This list, therefore, should be considered an indicator of accident types and trends, not a complete catalogue.
The criterion for listing an accident/incident is that it involves fatality or serious injury, and/or significant damage to the aircraft.
*Airclaims, Cardinal Point, Newall Road, Heathrow Airport, London, TW6 2AS, UK.
| TURBINE HELICOPTER ACCIDENTS LIST 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Type | Registration | Operator | Location | Operation | Phase | Fatalities | Injuries | POB | Circumstances | |||||||||
| JANUARY | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | AS350B2 | F-GIRF | Service Aerien Francais | Near Val d'Isere, France | ? | LR | - | - | 1 | White-out during while landing on snow. Main rotor hit ground. | |||||||||
| 7 | 369HS | N9089 | RC Fugate Enterprises | Near Wellington, Colorado, USA | Pvt | ER/LA | - | - | 2 | The pilot made a precautionary landing, saying the aircraft 'wanted to spin'. Finding no problems, he took off and climbed to 6,000ft, but the control difficulty returned so he started an autorotative descent. On applying collective to flare, however, the aircraft rolled and the main rotor hit the ground. The same airframe had been reported 'destroyed' in an accident in Florida, 26 June, 1992. The pilot reported that he bought the aircraft in December 1996 in Florida. | |||||||||
| 10 | W3A Sokol | HL9220 | City Air | Yejungbu City, Seoul, South Korea | AWP | LA | - | - | 11 | On a fire control training sortie, the co-pilot, as the PF, elected to make a go-around from a high approach, but the captain took control to land. The rate of descent increased and a hard touchdown caused substantial damage. Vortex-ring effect may have been a factor. | |||||||||
| 10 | 369HS | ZS-HRO | Mossel Bay H'copters | Mieringspoort, South Africa | ? | LA | - | - | 1 | Hard landing following 'uncontrolled yaw' just before touchdown. Tail boom hit ground. | |||||||||
| 10 | 206B3 | ZS-RAV | Mid Rand Metropolitan | Mid Rand, Johannesburg, South Africa | AWP | MT | 1 | - | 1 | Struck the ground while manoeuvring just above the ground. | |||||||||
| 11 | AS350BA | C-FJJH | Mountain High H'copters | Near Higgins Peak, British Columbia, Canada | AWP | ? | 5 | - | 5 | Crashed at the 7,500ft level in poor visibility with blowing snow. | |||||||||
| 12 | 369D | N7012G | Imua Air Service | Near Kamuela, Hawaii | Ferry | TI | - | - | 1 | Autorotation following loss of power. Hard landing. Fuel filter was clogged. | |||||||||
| 13 | Mi-8T | RA-22759 | Komiavia | Near Pelener, Russia | AWS | LA | 1 | 9 | 10 | Crashed about 1,500m from planned landing site. | |||||||||
| 16 | BO105CB | PK-PIN | Pelita Air Services | East Kalimantan, Indonesia | Ferry | ER | 3 | - | 3 | Flying from Naga Laki and Long Bagun over mountainous territory the air- craft went missing with no emergency call. The helicopter was GPS-equipped. | |||||||||
| 17 | 206L3 | P2-JNA | Islands H'copter Services | Nadzab, Papua New Guinea | AWE | TI | - | - | 1 | Crashed while lifting an underslung load of building materials. | |||||||||
| 18 | MD600N | N9202L | MDC Helicopter Services | Pullum Airport, Flagstaff, USA | Test | MH/L | - | - | 1 | Hit the ground hard and fast during autorotation tests at high altitude. | |||||||||
| 22 | AS350B | F-GBMQ | EDF Production | Ecury sur Coole, France | AWS | ER | - | - | 3 | Collided with power lines.manoeuvring just above the ground. | |||||||||
| 23 | 206B3 | N2047R | Air Center H'copters | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA | AWP | ER | 4 | - | 4 | Hit the top of a radio tower in daylight VMC. | |||||||||
| 24 | SA365N2 | JA6681 | Toyota | Okazaki, Japan | Pvt | ER | 8 | - | 8 | Hit trees on a low hill in snow. | |||||||||
| 25 | SA315B | N707EX | Gold Kist | Whiteville, North Carolina, USA | Ferry | ER | - | - | Fuel low pressure light came on and the power failed. Autorotated to a heavy landing and the main rotor severed the tail boom. | ||||||||||
| 26 | SE313B | F-GLRR | Helitech | Velaux, France | Pvt | TI | - | - | 3 | passengers were boarding. The helicopter got airborne IGE, but the rotor RPM decayed and when power was re-applied the compressor stalled and the helicopter touched down very hard. | |||||||||
| 29 | 206B2 | ? | Kamari | Belaga, Sarawak, Malaysia | ? | TI | 4 | 2 | 6 | Took off from hot and high hillside site with a fair load and crashed. | |||||||||
| 29 | AS350BA | C-FJXY | Heli-Excel | Matamek Lake, Quebec, Canada | ? | LA | - | - | 5 | Blowing snow at touchdown disorientated the pilot and the main rotors hit the ground. | |||||||||
| FEBRUARY | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 206L1 | C-GGHA | Skylink Aviation | Mavrovo Lake, Macedonia | Pvt | ER | 4 | - | 4 | Flying along a valley in moderate daylight visibility, the aircraft hit cables and crashed into the lake. | |||||||||
| 3 | 212 | XC-GUG | Procuradia General | La Amargura River, Ocotlan, Mexico | AWC | MT | - | 2 | 11 | Spraying herbicide over an alleged drug plantation, the tail rotor was reported to fail suddenly, and the pilot lost control. | |||||||||
| 4 | 206B | C-FBJV | Skytech Aviation | Kuujuaq, Quebec | CT | LA | - | - | 1 | Pilot was slow to re-apply power and flare for touchdown from practice autorotation. Tail struck ground and separated. | |||||||||
| 9 | Mi-2 | RA-20731 | Dontransavia | Salsky, Russia | AWH | LR | - | - | 5 | After landing on snow, the nose-wheel ran into a hole and the aircraft rolled over. | |||||||||
| 16 | 369D | N5200Y | San Diego Sheriff | Santee, California, USA | Pvt | ER | 1 | 1 | 2 | Crashed on patrol in darkness. | |||||||||
| 20 | 369D | N505RM | Manuiwa Airways | Milolii, Hawaii | AWP | ER | - | 3 | 4 | Whole tail rotor detached in flight. Control lost as speed reduced for emergency landing. | |||||||||
| 24 | 369HS | N340EM | Fred Engler | Marion, Ohio, USA | Pvt | ER | - | - | 1 | Reported loss of power in cruise at 500ft AGL. Autorotated, but touched down on soft ground and rolled over. | |||||||||
| 24 | 206B3 | N42SS | Sundance Helicopters | Mt Potosi, near Mountain Springs, Nevada, USA | DNP | LA | - | 1 | 3 | Hit downdraught on approach to mountain landing site and lost height. Local turbulence had been forecast.The helicopter hit bushes when the pilot attempted to turn its downslope, crashed and rolled down for some distance before stopping and burning. | |||||||||
| 26 | 369HS | VH-XAS | Heli-Zec | 31km offshore Gladstone, Queensland, Australia | AWP | TI | 1 | - | 2 | Ship-to shore sortie. Main rotor hit the block of a crane hook while turning soon after take-off, the aircraft went out of control and crashed into the sea inverted, but its fixed floats prevented it from sinking. Nighttime in clear weather, ship steaming at 14.5kt. | |||||||||
| MARCH | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | AS350BA | C-FNMV | Northern Mountain H'copters | 10km south of Linares, Chile | AWP | ? | 4 | 3 | 7 | Returning from a firefighting mission, the helicopter entered a long, descending right turn to impact with no attempt to arrest the rate of decent. A survivor reports seeing the pilot collapse on the controls before the crash. | |||||||||
| 1 | 212 | C-GALI | Alpine H'copters | Near Mica Creek, British Columbia, Canada | AWP | LA | - | 1 | 13 | Approaching a prepared mountain landing site, as the helicopter descended through about 50m, there was a loud bang and warning lights illuminated. The aircraft began to turn right as the pilot continued with the approach, eventually turning through 180 before touching down on the slope, where it rolled over. Investigation found an uncontained turbine failure in the No 1 engine. | |||||||||
| 3 | A109E | 9M-DRB | Gadek Aviation | Kampong Atong, Jerangsang, Malaysia | Pvt | LA | 3 | - | 3 | Crashed and burned on flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu. | |||||||||
| 4 | 206L1 | N5829D | Air Logistics | Offshore Jamaica Beach, Texas, USA | DNP | ER | - | - | 5 | Being forced lower in reducing visibility to stay under cloud, the pilot decided to turn back to the oil platform. During the turn the pilot became disorientated and lost control. The helicopter turned over and sank on hitting the water because of the pilot's failure to deploy floats. | |||||||||
| 5 | AS355F | N101UC | Corporate Jets | Washington County Airport, Washington, Pennsylvania, USA | Ferry | TI | - | - | 1 | As the helicopter lifted off immediately after a post-maintenance test flight, the aircraft rolled left and the main rotors hit the ground. | |||||||||
| 11 | 369HS | N95MS | Caribbean Fishing | Off Pago Pago, American Samoa | AWS | LA | - | - | 2 | Fish-spotting from a ship, as the aircraft returned to land on the vessel it lost power on approach, so the pilot ditched. | |||||||||
| 11 | Mi-2 | RA-23747 | Gelex Airlines | Bolshoye Savino, Russia | AWM | LA | - | - | 7 | Approached downwind, then entered the hover at 13ft and began to turn into the wind, which was very strong. At this point the helicopter rolled over and came to rest on its right side. | |||||||||
| 14 | 206B3 | B66061 | Asia Pacific Airlines | Near Taipei, Taiwan | AW? | MH | - | - | 2 | The crew was washing high voltage insulators on power lines from the helicopter. When control was lost the aircraft was in the hover close to a pylon at the top of a steep ridge. There is a suggestion that a gust may have caused a tailstrike on the pylon or cables. | |||||||||
| 14 | BO105CBS | N7161J | Arcadian Air Med | Lena, Louisiana, USA | Ferry | ER | 1 | 1 | 2 | Cruising at night the aircraft 'shuddered' and entered a left turn before crashing. | |||||||||
| 14 | AS355N | OE-BXG | Bundesministerium Fuer Inneres | Klainhadersdorf, Austria | Pvt | ? | 4 | - | 4 | Crashed during a night border patrol. CNK. | |||||||||
| 15 | 205A1 | SE-HSX | Heliflyg | Lofssjon, Sweden | AWE | TI | - | - | 1 | Main rotor mast appears to have sheared. One person on the ground nearby was killed by the rotor blades. | |||||||||
| 16 | 206B | G-OBTW | BTW Allen Farms | Clapgate, Ware, UK | Pvt | ? | 1 | - | 1 | Engine problem shortly after take-off, and pilot lost control. | |||||||||
| 21 | SA341G | F-GEHE | Heliclub de l'Ain | Montvendre, France | Pvt | LA | - | - | 4 | Turning into wind to land the pilot lost directional control, entered a spin and crashed. | |||||||||
| 21 | Mi-2 | RA-20751 | Nikolaevsk-na-Amure Air Enterprise | Bolshoye Mikhailovsk, Russia | AWM | ER | 1 | 5 | 6 | Left engine lost power and pilot went for an emergency landing. The visibility was poor and the ground snow covered, with few visual references. The pilot became disorientated and the aircraft touched down hard and rolled over. | |||||||||
| 21 | AS350D | VH-JRD | Jayrow Helicopters | Gelantipy Airstrip, 12km north of Bairnsdale, Australia | AWE | ER/LA | - | - | 2 | Pilot had to fight a recurring tendency for the aircraft to roll right, and attempts to jettison the external load kept failing. The aircraft landed from a left hand spiral with the pilot only partly in control. | |||||||||
| 26 | UH-1H | PNC160 | National Police Flight School | Mariquita, Colombia | CT | MT | 2 | - | 2 | The pilot lost control while entering the circuit to land in good weather. CNK. | |||||||||
| 26 | Mi-8MT | RA-25171 | Khalaktyrsky Aviation | ?, Russia | AWP | LA | 2 | 3 | 5 | Pilot became disorientated on approach to a snow covered landing site. | |||||||||
| 30 | AS350B2 | C-FCFM | Northern Air Support | Gjoa Haven, North West Territories, Canada | AWS | ER/LA | - | - | 2 | Loss of hydraulic power owing to a broken pump drive belt made the aircraft difficult to control during landing manoeuvres, and snagging of underslung survey equipment caused loss of control. | |||||||||
| 30 | 212 | XC-JBO | Gobierno del Estado de Nuevo Leon | Santa Catarina, Mexico | Pvt | ER | 1 | 5 | 8 | Vibration caused crew to attempt an emergency landing on a playing field, but the tail struck houses and detached and the aircraft crashed. The flight was an unauthorised joyride by crew, according to the local press. | |||||||||
| APRIL | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 206B3 | C-GUYI | Northern Mountain Helicopters | Smithers Airport, British Columbia, Canada | CT | TR | - | - | 2 | On lift-off the aircraft suffered a dynamic rollover because the right skid had become bogged in soft ground. | |||||||||
| 3 | Mi-8 | RA-24555 | Second Perm Aviation | Ocher, Russia | AWM | TC | 5 | - | 5 | Collided with a radio mast in poor weather on a medevac flight. | |||||||||
| 8 | AS350B | N370WM | South Florida Water | Palm Beach Airport, Florida, USA | Pvt | TI | - | 5 | 5 | Climbing through 75ft, helicopter rolled left and lost height, hit ground hard and rolled. | |||||||||
| 8 | 206L1 | N57334 | Air Logistics | Off Ship Shoals, Louisiana, USA | DNP | TI | - | - | 2 | On lift-off from the platform the helicopter began to spin. Having largely lost control, the pilot elected to ditch. | |||||||||
| 10 | BOH58 | N132SP | Indiana State Police | Freeman Field, Indiana, USA | Pvt | MH | - | 1 | 4 | During hover-loading practice the aircraft suddenly moved sideways and rolled right, pitching up and crashing. Two people on the ground taking part in the exercise were forced to board the out-of-control helicopter to avoid being hurt. | |||||||||
| 15 | BK117B1 | N909CP | Colgate Palmolive | 60th St Heliport, New York, USA | Pvt | TI | 1 | 2 | 4 | Tail fin failed completely owing to a fatigue crack. Lost control and crashed into the East River. | |||||||||
| 16 | 204B | N4580Y | South Coastal H'copters | Calderwood, Tennessee, USA | AWE | MT | - | - | 1 | During firefighting, after climbing to 120ft with an underslung bucket on a 100ft line, power failed and autorotation ended in trees. The engine-to- gearbox drive appears to have failed. | |||||||||
| 17 | Mi-8T | R-24411 | Kamchatka RCAD | Kamensky, Russia | AWP | TI | - | - | 15 | Power loss because of snow ingestion into engines. | |||||||||
| 19 | S-61N | C-GBRF | Coulson Air Crane | Stave Lake, British Columbia, Canada | AWE | LA | 1 | 1 | 2 | Intermittent total loss of cyclic pitch control. After several attempts to land using different profiles, the pilot lost control at the flare from a shallow approach, the aircraft pitching down strongly and failing to respond to cyclic control. Crashed into trees and rolled over. | |||||||||
| 20 | 206B | C-FAXU | Taiga H'copters | West of Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada | AWE | TI | - | - | 3 | The long line snagged on fuel drums and the pilot lost control. | |||||||||
| 23 | 206L1 | N618DE | US Department of Energy | Trinidad, Colorado, USA | Ferry | ER | - | - | 1 | Attempting to avoid low cloud and stay VMC, the pilot turned right, but had to climb to avoid terrain. Speed dropped off and directional control was lost. The pilot reduced power, lost height and crashed in the turn. | |||||||||
| 26 | 206L1 | HK-2043 | Helitaxi | Lake Tomine, Bogota, Colombia | ? | LA | - | - | 5 | Engine problem on approach. Pilot attempted a forced landing on a hillside, but the helicopter rolled over. | |||||||||
| 28 | 212 | C-FALK | Alpine H'copters | North eat of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada | Ferry | LA | - | - | 1 | Classic white-out conditions during the final part of the approach to pick up skiers from a snow covered frozen lake. Pilot lost visual reference and the rotors hit the ground. | |||||||||
| 28 | S-76A | C-GIMW | Canadian H'copters | Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | CT | MH | - | - | 2 | Practising single engine failures, the aircraft landed with significant rearward speed and rolled over. | |||||||||
| 30 | BK117A-1 | N122LF | Keystone H'copter | Kane Hospital pad, Kane, Pennsylvania, USA | AWM | LA | - | - | 4 | Crashed attempting to land on the helipad. | |||||||||
| MAY | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 206L3 | VH-CKP | Capricorn H'copter Rescue | Tartrus Station, 113km north east of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia | AWM | GP | - | 1 | 1 | Damage caused to a medical oxygen cylinder supply hose during aircraft maintenance caused an explosion and an intense fire on the ground. | |||||||||
| 7 | Mi-8MT | RA-25509 | Vostok Aviakompania | Khabarovsk area, Russia | AWE | ER | 1 | 2 | 3 | Both engines failed while the aircraft was lifting a 2,300kg log. Forced landing resulted in crash among trees. Fuel exhaustion is suspected. | |||||||||
| 10 | 369D | N5105N | Imua Air Service | Puako, Hawaii | Pvt | ER | 2 | 2 | 4 | Reported loss of engine power, aircraft entered a left turn and pitched down. Pilot appears to have lost control. | |||||||||
| 11 | 206B3 | C-FEHT | Bighorn Aviation | Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada | CT | LR | - | - | 2 | Practice autorotation. Helicopter was slightly nose-down at touchdown with low rotor RPM. Skids dug in and main rotor hit tail. | |||||||||
| 12 | 206B3 | C-GSEB | Canadian H'copters | Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada | CT | LR | - | - | 2 | Practice autorotation. Hard touchdown and rotor hit tail. | |||||||||
| 17 | 206L1 | N30SG | Air Orlando H'copter | Orlando, Florida, USA | Pvt | TI | - | - | 4 | The pilot heard a noise and the engine lost power. Following an autorotation the helicopter touched down hard. | |||||||||
| 18 | 206B3 | N98AW | Kenai Air | Mt Mauna Kea, Hilo, Hawaii | Ferry | ER | 1 | - | 1 | VMC flight in rainy weather. The aircraft hit the mountain at 6,500ft level. Pilot had not taken a weather briefing before take-off. | |||||||||
| 19 | Mi-2 | RA-23683 | Novgorod Air Enterprise | Novgorod, Russia | CT | MH | - | - | 2 | Stable hover established at 15ft AGL. During hovering turn, there was a noise and the helicopter began to spin and lose height. Touched down with bank on, rolled several times and caught fire. | |||||||||
| 21 | 369D | N8306F | Olympic Air | Moclips, Washington, USA | AWE | TI | - | - | 1 | As the helicopter climbed thought 50ft AGL the engine is reported to have lost power, and the aircraft touched down hard and rolled over. | |||||||||
| 21 | AS350B2 | RAN-32 | SNSBS | Everest Base Camp, Nepal | AWM | LA | - | - | 2 | During approach to the Base Camp helipad, at the 16,600ft level in calm' weather, the helicopter seems to have been caught by a sudden downdraught. A go-around attempt was unsuccessful and the tail rotor hit the ground causing a spin and rollover. | |||||||||
| 22 | 206B | N61PP | Highlands H'copter Service | Winter Park, Florida, USA | Pvt | MH | - | 3 | 3 | The helicopter was put into the hover at 700ft, but it began to spin and lose height, finally crashing among trees. | |||||||||
| 22 | UH-1H | N95NW | Northwest H'copters | LOLO, Montana, USA | AWE | MT | - | - | 1 | Helicopter was positioning to pick up logs when the engine lost power. The aircraft was known to be low on fuel, so fuel supply interruption is considered a possibility. | |||||||||
| 23 | Mi-8MT | RA-27151 | Nord Air | 74km from Noyabrsk, Russia | AWE | TI | - | 2 | 4 | The sling slipped on a length of pipe which the helicopter was lifting and the pilot momentarily lost control because of the change of trim and it lost height. The pipe, now standing on end, penetrated the aircraft's fuselage and it crashed. | |||||||||
| 23 | SA365N | VT-ELC | Pawan Hans H'copters | In sea off Mumbai, India | AWM | ER | 2 | - | 2 | Reportedly flew into the sea. | |||||||||
| 27 | 206L3 | N35CH | Jeflyn Aviation | Boise, Idaho, USA | CT | LA | - | - | 3 | Allowing a crew check autorotation, turning through 180û, the aircraft touched down hard. | |||||||||
| 27 | Mi-2 | RA-14178 | Lipetsk Air Enterprise | ?, Russia | CT | TI | - | - | 2 | The aircraft yawed and lost height, hitting the ground hard. | |||||||||
| 30 | UH1-H | PNP-308 | Policia National De Peru | Near Tarapoto, Peru | Pvt | ER | 2 | 7 | 9 | Loss of power followed by forced landing among trees. Fatality numbers are estimates. | |||||||||
| 31 | Bo105CBS | ZS-HRF | South African Police | Klipriver, South Africa | Pvt | ? | - | - | 2 | Hit power lines while chasing a stolen car. | |||||||||
| JUNE | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 206B3 | N115AL | Air Logistics | Near Inracoastal City, Louisiana, USA | Pvt | ER | - | - | 1 | Collided with another Houston Helicopters B206L1 in VMC, crashed into sea with the main rotor damaged. | |||||||||
| 1 | 206L1 | N2773A | Houston H'copters | Near Inracoastal City, Louisiana, USA | Pvt | ER | 1 | 0 | 1 | Collided with Air Logistics B206B3 and tail boom broke away. | |||||||||
| 3 | UH-1B | N85NW | Northwest H'copters | Near Addy, Washington, USA | AWE | MT | - | - | 1 | Mechanical failure while manoeuvring to pick up external load. Autorotated to a heavy landing. | |||||||||
| 6 | 204B | N64F | Pacific H'copter Tours | Near Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA | AWE | MH | - | - | 1 | Sling separated at load pick-up, and the pilot made an emergency landing on feeling a high frequency vibration. Tail struck the ground on touchdown. | |||||||||
| 10 | UH-1B | N888SJ | San Joaquin H'copters | Heron, California, USA | AWC | MT | - | - | 5 | Spraying a field of tomatoes at 3ft above the plant tops, the engine lost power and the aircraft touched down hard, severing tail boom. | |||||||||
| 12 | 206L3 | N207DS | DBS Air | Weston, Colorado, USA | DNP | ER | - | - | 5 | The pilot attempted to pull up over a ridge using full collective, but realised that the aircraft did not have enough power to make it and carried out a pedal turn. A tail-wind robbed the aircraft of lift and it settled among trees. | |||||||||
| 13 | 206B3 | VH-HRE | Jayrow H'copters | 26km north east of Jabiru, Northern Territories, Australia | ? | TI | - | - | 1 | Apparently having abandoned the first attempt to set down, while lifting to reposition the aircraft hit a fuel drum and a tree, then crashed. | |||||||||
| 14 | 206L4 | 9M-BAP | Helitrade | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AWE | MH | 3 | - | 3 | Lifting a component for attachment to the top of a communications tower, but the load snagged on the tower and the pilot lost control. | |||||||||
| 19 | Mi-8 | RA-24176 | Heyns H'copters | Lanseria Airport, Pretoria, South Africa | ? | GT | - | - | 3 | Main rotor struck hangar while ground taxiing. | |||||||||
| 20 | 369HS | N4250N | Hansen H'copters | In Pacific Ocean, near Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, Kiribati | AWS | LA | 1 | 1 | 2 | Landing back on ship after a fishspotting flight, main rotor hit one of the ship's antennae and the pilot lost control. Daylight VMC. | |||||||||
| 24 | S-61N | PT-YAF | Aeroleo Taxi Aereo | Macae Airport, Macae, Brazil | Test | TI | - | ? | 5 | Uncommanded yaw and rocking in roll just after take-off. Crash-landed and rolled over. | |||||||||
| 25 | Mi-2 | RA-23226 | SKASP | Parfyonovka, Russia | AWS | ER | - | - | 3 | Hit power lines. Attempted a forced landing, but helicopter turned over and burned. | |||||||||
| JULY | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 206B | N49661 | American Aviation | New Iberia, Louisiana, USA | AWE | LA | - | 1 | 1 | Having set down a load from a long line lift, the aircraft moved left to land next to it. The line suddenly became taut and the helicopter rolled over on landing. | |||||||||
| 3 | AS350B | ZS-RGF | Helibip | Kasane, Namibia | AWE | ? | 1 | - | 1 | Underslug load hit tail rotor and control was lost. | |||||||||
| 6 | 206L1 | N27591 | Rogers H'copters/ USDA Forest Service | San Bernadino Mt, Highland, Calif, USA | AWF | MT | 1 | - | 1 | Brief distress call referred to an engine flame-out. | |||||||||
| 9 | 206B3 | EC-EMF | Agrimar H'copters | Castellon Airport, Spain | ? | LA | - | - | 1 | Hard touchdown and roll-over. | |||||||||
| 13 | 206B2 | G-FLYR | Kwik-Fit Euro | Forfar, Scotland | DNP | LA | 1 | - | 6 | Pilot returned to land owing to deteriorating weather, setting down in a field close to the departure point. It rolled over on landing. | |||||||||
| 14 | Mi-8 | RA-24406 | Uraiavia | Tyumen region, Russia | AWP | LA | - | - | 4 | Approaching a landing pad with approach paths restricted by oil drilling equipment, the tail struck a fuel tank 12m from the pad. | |||||||||
| 17 | 206L1 | N3892R | Petroleum H'copters | Amelia, Louisiana, USA | DNP | TI | - | - | 2 | Loud bang followed by power loss. Hard touchdown followed an autorotation from 700ft, and aircraft rolled over. | |||||||||
| 17 | AS355F2 | RPC1408 | Hydro Resources | Manila Bay, Philippines | Pvt | ER | - | - | 2 | Pilot lost visual reference over water in poor visibility, and began a 180 turn, but crashed into the water. | |||||||||
| 18 | S-58T | N47B | Air One H'copters | Page, Arizona, USA | AWE | MH | - | - | 1 | Loud bang followed by loss of control and hard landing, in which the main rotor hit the tail. | |||||||||
| 22 | 206B2 | C-GKCU | Abtibi H'copters | 150km north of Lasarre, Quebec, Canada | AWP | ER | - | - | 2 | Pilot new to the job and area flew along a road into sun and hit wires at 30ft AGL. | |||||||||
| 24 | Mi-8 | ? | Lithuanian AF | Zoknai, Lithuania | AWS | MH | - | - | 7 | Loss of control in hover over field at night. The crew were tasked with checking the airport lighting. | |||||||||
| 28 | AS350B | N61TV | Sterling H'copters | Penns Landing Heliport, Philadelphia, USA | AWS | MH | - | - | 2 | Lost control during hover-taxiing when hydraulic warning light came on and aircraft began to rotate left. It touched down while still turning and rolled over right. Initial check did not reveal any hydraulic problem. | |||||||||
| AUGUST | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 206L3 | N94TA | Trans-Alaska H'copters | Wasilia, Alaska, USA | CT | TI | - | - | 2 | During a pilot check ride the helicopter had landed on soft lakeside tundra to hook up a 'bambi bucket'. Although the aircraft's skids had tundra skis fitted, the left skid remained attached to the surface on take-off, and the aircraft rolled over. | |||||||||
| 10 | 206LR | C-GJBC | Universal Helicopters | Grand Lake, Labrador, Canada | AWS | ER | - | - | 3 | At 400ft, on forest fire surveillance, there was a loud bang and the aircraft yawed hard left and pitched up. The pilot autorotated to a landing on the lake's rocky shore, which caused substantial damage. | |||||||||
| 11 | 206B2 | G-SHRR | Yorkshire H'copter Centre | Nether Kellett, UK | AWS | ER | 2 | - | 2 | On pipeline survey in daylight, but overcast with poor visibility, the aircraft crashed in fields and caught fire. | |||||||||
| 12 | AS355F2 | G-MENI | Air Hanson | 11km W of York, UK | ? | ER | - | - | 2 | Collided with a motor glider at about 1,900ft. Although the helicopter lost its tail rotor and a part of the tail boom, the pilot managed to land the aircraft in a field, where it turned over because there was drift at touchdown. | |||||||||
| 13 | SA316B | RAN29 | Royal Nepal air force | Panchkhal, Nepal | Pvt | MT | - | - | 2 | Struck a power line while manoeuvring, but damage was slight and the aircraft returned to base about 1km away. On landing the main rotor hit the tail boom. | |||||||||
| 14 | SA316B | EC-FQI | Heliswiss Iberica | Las Huerstas, Spain | AWF | MT | - | - | 1 | Attempting to pick up a Bambi bucket for firefighting, the tail rotor hit a swimming pool handrail and the pilot lost control. | |||||||||
| 15 | UH-1H | N205DF | Nevada State Forestry | Lake Watson, California, USA | AWP | ER | - | - | 7 | Transporting firefighters to a fire in daylight VMC, the helicopter 'crashed' into Lake Watson. | |||||||||
| 15 | 412 | XC-PFI | Policia Federal de Caminos | Cuervo, Mexico | Pvt | MT | 8 | - | 8 | Struck houses while manoeuvring. | |||||||||
| 20 | 206B3 | N18FH | Evergreen H'copters of Alaska | AWP | ER | 1 | 1 | 4 | Pilot took off in very poor visibility, then decided to return, but hit a ridge, which the survivors report was not visible when the helicopter hit it. | ||||||||||
| 21 | 206L1 | N2246Q | Helica del Peru | Arica, Peru | DNP | ER | 3 | 3 | 6 | Hit trees in daylight VMC. The pilot appears to have been attempting a forced landing. | |||||||||
| 23 | 206B | N7929J | Evergreen Helicopters | 6km offshore Oak Grove, Louisiana, USA | AWE | ? | - | - | 1 | Failure of tail rotor drive shaft at a bonding point, followed by loss of control. | |||||||||
| 24 | S-61N | G-BIMU | Bristow Helicopters | Stac Pollaidh, 20km north west of Ullapool, UK | AWR | MH | - | - | 3 | Main rotors struck a cliff face during a good-weather rescue mission for two injured climbers. An immediate hard emergency landing resulted in considerable damage. | |||||||||
| 24 | AS350B | ZK-HDK | Helicopter NZ | Myitkyina, Myanmar | AWP | TI | - | - | 1 | On lift off from the bank of a stream, the cockpit door became unlatched so the pilot set down again close to the original point to relatch the door. On lift-off, however, the main rotor hit the branches of a large tree and the pilot lost control. | |||||||||
| 27 | UH-1B | N482SA | Buffalo Island Flying Service | Near Manila, Arkansas, USA | AWC | MT | 1 | - | 1 | The helicopter crashed during a turn for a spraying run. | |||||||||
| 27 | UH-1B | N896W | Horizon H'copters | Mt Baker-Snoqualmie, Washington, USA | AWE | MH | 1 | - | 1 | Two underslung logs became caught in trees. The load was released. Then the ground crew started to re-attach one of the logs, but at that point a 'pop' was heard and the helicopter crashed. The main rotor, with both blades attached and showing no sign of a blade-strike, was 50m from the crash site. The main rotor mast was shown to have failed. It had last been overhauled on 6 June, 1996 and had completed 1,126h in service, against a service interval of 1,500h. | |||||||||
| 28 | 369E | D-HULF | Deutsche Helicopter Dienst | Erfurt, Germany | ? | ? | - | - | ? | Substantial damage in emergency landing following reported engine failure. | |||||||||
| 29 | UH-1B | N22753 | Grizzly Mountain Aviation | Dayville, Oregon, USA | Ferry | ER | - | 1 | 3 | En route from a logging site, an engine cowling broke away and disabled the tail rotor. The pilot carried out and autorotation, but touched down hard and the aircraft was badly damaged. Inspection revealed that the cowling appeared to have been improperly installed during recent replacement by a subcontractor. | |||||||||
| SEPTEMBER | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | SA330J | HB-XV1 | Heli-TV | Val-Trodo, Switzerland | AWE | MH | 2(E) | 5(E) | 6 | Just after picking up a load of logs the helicopter lurched left and began to rotate. It then crashed among trees. | |||||||||
| 6 | 206B3 | HB-XYU | BB Heli | Wallisellen, near Zurich, Switzerland | ? | ? | - | 5 | 5 | Loss of control in flight reported. Spun and crashed. | |||||||||
| 7 | AS350B | I-AMVC | Air Service Centre | Monza motor racing circuit, Italy | Ferry | LR | - | - | 1 | Just after touchdown, with heavy helicopter traffic at the circuit during the Grand Prix races, a second helicopter (an AS350B2, reg I-PRID) began a landing on top of I-AVMC. Eventually I-PRID landed safely with minor damage, but I-AVMC suffered serious damage. | |||||||||
| 7 | AS350B2 | I-PRID | Elilario | Monza motor racing circuit, Italy | ? | LR | ? | ? | ? | See previous item. | |||||||||
| 7 | Mi-8T | RA-22749 | Vostok Aviakompania | Polina Osipenko, Russia | DNP | LA | - | - | 4 | Forced landing with fuel starvation. The external tanks carried plenty of fuel but the feeder tank was empty. The aircraft touched down hard and turned over. | |||||||||
| 8 | AS332L1 | LN-OPG | Helikopter Service | In North Sea, 170km off Bronnoysund, Norway | DNP | ER | 12 | - | 12 | The helicopter appears to have gone out of control and begun to break up following a sequence of catastrophic power unit mechanical failures believed to have started with the failure of the right engine Bendix shaft. The aircraft, which had given a normal 5min ETA for the Norne oil platform from its 2,000ft cruise height, plunged into the sea. | |||||||||
| 8 | 206B3 | N770GG | Berry Leasing | Napa Country Airport, California, USA | Pvt | MH | - | - | 1 | Pilot began to taxi with the tie-down chains still attached to the skids. Ground crew had fitted them at night because of high winds, but the accident occurred in daylight. The helicopter rolled over. | |||||||||
| 9 | AS355F1 | G-WIRE | National Grid | Aber Gorge, North Wales, UK | AWE | TI | - | - | 1 | Taking off 15m to the right of some power lines, heading parallel to them with a 700kg underslung load, the helicopter was caught by a gust and veered left. The pilot applied right cyclic, but the load had begun to swing and dragged the aircraft left. The main rotor hit the wires but the pilot maintained control to perform a run-on landing. | |||||||||
| 9 | 206B | N90115 | Palo Alto H'copters | Douglas County Airport, Minden, Nevada, USA | Pvt | LR | - | 4 | Hard touchdown, and a main rotor blade separated, hitting a Cessna 182. | ||||||||||
| 12 | 369HS | N107CW | Mid South Aviation | Near Brinkley, Arkansas, USA | DNP | ER | - | - | 4 | Cruising at 500ft, directional control was lost and the pilot reports that the tail rotor chip warning light came on. The helicopter autorotated to touchdown but hit uneven ground and rolled. | |||||||||
| 12 | 205A1 | N90HJ | National Park Service | Olympic National Forest, Washington, USA | AWR | TI | 3 | 5 | 8 | Flew into a hillside in rain and fog shortly after take-off from a landing site in the forest. The flight was intended to find a missing hiker, but the pilot was unfamiliar with the area and was reported to have lifted off into fog. | |||||||||
| 14 | 206B2 | TF-HHD | Helicopter Service of Iceland | Kalfeyrarfyoll Mt, Hamarsfjordur, Iceland | DNC | MH | 1 | - | 1 | On his 93rd landing of the day, the pilot lifted off from a slope in the gathering dusk intending to sideslip a short distance to pick up a load a few metres away. It is believed that a skid snagged a rock that the pilot did not see, and the aircraft turned over. | |||||||||
| 17 | OH-58 | N149SD | Tarrant Country Sheriff | Copeland Airport, Newark, Texas, USA | Pvt | MT | 1 | - | 1 | The helicopter was being used to practice 'tactical manoeuvres'. Control was lost and the aircraft spun into the ground. | |||||||||
| 18 | 407 | N467PH | Petroleum Helicopters | Fourchon, Louisiana, USA | DNP | ER | - | - | 5 | All the tail boom assembly aft of the horizontal stabiliser separated and has not been found. The helicopter autorotated to a safe ditching. | |||||||||
| 19 | Mi-8MTV-1 | RA-25810 | Barnaul Air Enterprise | Barnaul, Russia | Demo | MT | 2 | 1 | 3 | Crashed and burned after about 17min airborne demonstration for the internal affairs ministry. | |||||||||
| 20 | 206L3 | N210PH | Petroleum H'copters | Houma, Louisiana, USA | Ferry | ER | - | - | 1 | Birdstrike sheared the yellow 'push-pull tube', making the helicopter difficult to control. The pilot autorotated to a safe landing. | |||||||||
| 22 | S-76A | N517AL | Air Logistics | Patterson Airport, Louisiana, USA | Ferry | ER | - | 2 | 2 | The aircraft was last seen in a high hover before it disappeared into fog. It crashed on the airfield in darkness with undercarriage retracted and slid forward before coming to rest. | |||||||||
| 25 | 206B | N59396 | Houston H'copters | Anahuac, Texas | AWE | TI | - | 2 | 2 | Helicopter was dispatched to pick up water with a bucket, but did not return and was found to have crashed having gone out of control in the climb. | |||||||||
| 27 | FH-1100 | N5045F | Mazzeo H'copters | Pittsfield Airport, Massachussetts, USA | CT | ER | 1 | 1 | 2 | During a pilot's biannual flight review which was also being used to demonstrate the aircraft to the instructor who was considering buying it, the aircraft made an approach to runway 32. During the approach the aircraft was seen to slow and its rate of descent to increase. It hit soft ground 60m short of the runway and was destroyed. | |||||||||
| 30 | 369HS | N9102F | Marlowe Goble | Durst Mt, Morgan, Utah, USA | Pvt | LA | - | - | 4 | Attempting to land on a mountain ridge, the helicopter yawed left and hit the ground 40ft below the intended landing area. It rolled over, suffering substantial damage. | |||||||||
| OCTOBER | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mi-8T | 4K-24017 | AZAL H'copter | In Caspian Sea, off Guneshli, Azerbaijan | DNP | LA | 18 | 1 | 19 | On approach to an offshore platform, the pilot appears to have had a 'control problem' and the helicopter crashed into the sea. | |||||||||
| 2 | 206B3 | N2163Y | Petroleum H'copters | Arcadiana Airport, Louisiana, USA | CT | LR | - | -2 | Demonstration of an autorotation with a 180 turn led to a 'normal' touchdown, but with some forward speed. The skids dug into a rut in the touchdown, but with some forward speed. The skids dug into a rut in the grass and the helicopter toppled forward, its main rotor hitting the ground. | ||||||||||
| 4 | S-76A | B-7301 | Zhi Hai H'copters | In sea off Wenzhou, China | DNP | ER | 7 | - | 7 | Aircraft disappeared with no emergency call en route from Wenzhou to Nanhai 6 oil platform. It was operating in what was described as 'marginal IMC'. | |||||||||
| 5 | Mi-8 | RA-24207 | Bagatai Flying Unit | Near Churpunni Mt, Russia | AWM | TI | - | - | 6 | The helicopter settled back nose-down after lift-off, damaging the nosewheel, then lifted off again. The crew decided to proceed to Tenkell, where better maintenance resources were available. They called ahead to Tenkell, where the ground crew set up a platform to support the nose. The pilot, on landing, positioned the aircraft so that the nose was supported by the platform and no further damage occurred. | |||||||||
| 9 | 206B | C-FALE | Alpine H'copters | 3km south west of Gleichen, Alberta, Canada | AWS | ER | - | - | 1 | During a powerline survey the pilot heard a loud bang and the engine failed. Autorotation led to a hard touchdown in which the main rotors severed the tail boom. Initial inspection did not find an engine failure cause, but the helicopter was operating in rain and snow showers at about 0, the intake reverse scoops had not been installed and the engine relight system was not armed. | |||||||||
| 12 | 206B | N911RH | Royale H'copter Service | Sago, West Virginia, USA | AWS | MT | 4 | - | 4 | Having made a slow, low pass over a mining site for photography, the aircraft was seen to turn left and enter a flat descent to impact. Early investigation indicates that neither main nor tail rotor drive shafts appeared to have been rotating at impact and the rotors received very little damage. | |||||||||
| 14 | 369E | C-FXQJ | Ocean View H'copters | 57km north of Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada | AWE | ER | - | - | 1 | The pilot left the long line and hook trailing en route to pick up a load. The hook snagged some treetops and bounced up, hitting the tail rotor and causing it and its gearbox to break away. Autorotation ended with the aircraft inverted among trees. | |||||||||
| 15 | Mi-6 | RA-21014 | Vostok Aviakompania | Khabarovsk area, Russia | DNP | ER | - | - | 38 | Flying at 1,800m AGL, the turbine overspeed protection system shut both engines down. Autorotation was successful, but touchdown on soft ground resulted in damage. Metal particles were found in the oil filters, on the magnetic plugs, and in the gearbox oil. | |||||||||
| 20 | 206B | C-GWXJ | Yellowhead H'copters | Gordondale, Alberta, Canada | AWS | ? | 3 | - | 3 | Crashed and burned. Details not yet reported. | |||||||||
| 28 | SA316B | C-FWPH | Turbowest H'copters | 17km north west of Counselor, New Mexico, USA | AWE | MH | - | - | 1 | Delivering a load to a site in a narrow canyon at 6,500ft AMSL, the helicopter was hovering at about 150ft when its encountered its own downwash and began to descend. Attempt to recover failed and the helicopter touched down hard and rolled over. | |||||||||
| 30 | Vertol BV234 | Helifor Industries | C-FHFH | Near Comox Lake, British Columbia, Canada | AWE | MH | 2 | - | 2 | While picking up a log, the helicopter entered a flat, spiral spin and crashed on a steep hillside. | |||||||||
| 30 | AS350B | N911RR | Illinois Police | Frankfort Airport, Illinois, USA | Pvt | MT | 2 | - | 2 | Crashed during an 'orientation' flight in night VMC. | |||||||||
| 31 | AS322L2 | LN-OHC | Helikopter Service | Sola Airport, Norway | CT | LA | - | - | 2 | During the final stages of an approach to land the aircraft entered a bank of surface fog. The pilot lost visual reference and a high sink rate developed. The helicopter touched down hard, bounced and then settled safely. | |||||||||
| NOVEMBER | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Mi-2 | RA-15682 | Kubanavia-usluga | 145km from Nyagan, Russia | AWH | MT | 1 | 3 | 4 | On a hunting trip, a passenger was shooting Elk from the right hand cockpit door when both engines lost power. It is believed that the passenger inadvertently shut off the fuel. | |||||||||
| 8 | 206B3 | N101LF | Hillsboro H'copters | Near Forest Grove, Oregon, USA | AWE | MT | - | - | 1 | Approaching a load pick-up point, the aircraft decelerated and its long line swung forward and upward. There was a load bang, and parts of the rotors seemed to break away. The pilot lost control and crashed. Investigation showed evidence of a cable strike on the main and tail rotors. | |||||||||
| 8 | 206B3 | ZS-REB | Makeean Polymers | Loskop Dam, South Africa | ? | TI | - | - | 3 | On lift-off the tail rotor struck a guard rail around a parking area. | |||||||||
| 14 | 206B2 | G-BAKS | Stephenson Aviation | Cocking, West Sussex, UK | ? | ER | 1 | - | 1 | Engine trouble reported before the crash. | |||||||||
| 15 | SA316B | F-MJBT | Gendarmerie | Near Tarbes, France | AWR | ER | - | - | 4 | Collided with powerlines while searching for a missing aircraft. | |||||||||
| 15 | 206L4 | G-WFRD | Wickford Development | Chelmsford, Essex, UK | Pvt | ER | - | - | 5 | During a precautionary landing in a field in poor weather, the helicopter touched down hard on a sheep. | |||||||||
| 20 | Mi-8 | RA-22797 | Emercom | In Black Sea between Sochi and Lazarevskaya, Russia | AWR | MT | 5 | 5 | 12 | Flew into the sea at night during a search for a fishing boat. The crew had not been trained in night rescue. | |||||||||
| 21 | B0-105CBS | D-HDQS | Helicopter Service Wasserthal | ? | AWP | ER | - | - | 5 | Pilot made a precautionary landing because white-out conditions were developing, but the helicopter touched down hard and was damaged. | |||||||||
| 25 | TH1L | N8160G | Blue Bird H'copters | 9km south of Canby, Oregon, USA | Ferry | ER | - | - | 7 | The helicopter almost went out of control, but the pilot recovered it enough to carry out a forced landing. Witnesses report that the sling line impacted its tail, and fragments from the rotor were found in the sling hook. | |||||||||
| 27 | 369D | VH-NJL | H'copter Aerial Services | Mt Carrialoo, 7km south of Fitzroy Falls, NSW, Australia | AWF | MT | - | - | 1 | As the pilot approached the water-drop point at 15kt and 150ft AGL, the engine ran down despite the throttle being open, and a relight attempt failed. The forced landing was very heavy but the pilot escaped, and 10min later the brush fire engulfed the helicopter. | |||||||||
| DECEMBER | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 369HS | N9068F | Macaw Aviation | Coral Ocean Point Hotel, Kobleville, Saipan, Guam | DNP | LA | - | - | 5 | During the final approach to the hotel helipad, the engine lost power. A forced landing on a golf course was heavy and the helicopter rolled over. Fuel filters were found seriously clogged, leading to the suggestion of fuel contamination. | |||||||||
| 11 | Mi-8 | RA-24247 | Arkhangelsk Flight Unit | Naryan-Mar Airport, Russia | AWM | GT | 8 | - | 11 | The helicopter had been cleared to taxi across a runway at night when an Antonov An-12 (RA-12105) was on approach. Although the An-12 pilot had been told to go around again because the helicopter was not clear, he thought that the go-around instruction had been given because of poor visibility when he had the runway in sight, so he continued the landing. The airport is civil/military with separate controllers and different terminology, and this may be judged to have played a part in the accident. | |||||||||
| 14 | 407 | N771AL | Air Methods | Littleton, Colorado, USA | AWM | TI | 4 | - | 4 | Taking off in darkness but good visibility from a car accident site with an injured motorist on board, the aircraft hit power lines. | |||||||||
| 16 | 206L3 | N206LT | Briles H'copters | 25km south of Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA | Ferry | ER | - | - | 1 | Engine reportedly flamed out. Autorotated to touchdown but slid forward into an embankment. | |||||||||
| 18 | 206B2 | N124DA | Aero West Management | Near Reserve, New Mexico, USA | Ferry | ER | - | - | 1 | Helicopter was manoeuvring at 8,500ft altitude when the tail rotor lost effectiveness. Autorotation to a hard touchdown resulted in rollover. | |||||||||
| 20 | S.76B | PH-KHB | KLM ERA H'copters | Near L7A Platform, off Den Helder, Netherlands | DNP | LA | 1 | - | 8 | Helicopter appears to have flown into the sea on its second night approach. The occupants escaped before the aircraft sank and were picked up by a rescue boat 50min later, but one is reported to have died subsequently. | |||||||||
| 31 | AS355F | N355DS | Meridian Consulting | West 30th St Heliport, New York, USA | Pvt | LA | - | - | 6 | Helicopter was approaching the helipad downwind from the north west in daylight VMC, cleared to land, but it overshot the pad and collided with the control building. | |||||||||
Source: Flight International
