Aerospatiale AS350D N143EH
20 July 1989 · Long Beach, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 20 July 1989 at about 18:23 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350D registered N143EH, operated by Island Express Helicopters, was involved in an incident near Long Beach, California, United States. 6 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:23
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Long Beach, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.8196, -118.1094
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350D
- Registration
- N143EH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Island Express Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Avalon → Long Beach
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX89IA242
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS ABOUT 15 MINUTES INTO HIS OVER WATER FLIGHT WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. THE FLOATS WERE DEPLOYED AND A SUCCESSFUL AUTOROTATION WAS MADE IN THE OCEAN. THE DRIVE SPLINES ON THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF EXCESSIVE ASYMMETRICAL WEAR AND THE ENGINE ACCESSORY DRIVE GEAR THAT DROVE THE FUEL PUMP SPLINES WAS EXCESSIVELY WORN. THE EXCESSIVE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE GEAR AND SPLINE PERMITTED SLIPPAGE IN THE FUEL PUMP DRIVE SYSTEM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS350D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 May 1989 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Waialae Falls, Hawaii, United States | Papillion Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1989 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Carson City, Nevada, United States | Aris Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 1989 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Volcano, Hawaii, United States | Papillon Helicopters, Ltd | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 1987 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States | Jones, Jones & Welch | No injuries | - |
| 7 Dec 1991 | Aerospatiale AS350D ASTAR | Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, United States | Equipment Leasors of PA, Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 23 Mar 1986 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Damin Aviation Corp. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 1989 | Piper PA-31-350 | Ontario, California, United States | Ameriflight | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Sep 1989 | Piper PA-25-235 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 1989 | Cessna 310K | Ojai, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Sep 1989 | Cessna 182 | Eureka, California, United States | Nothern Air | No injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 1989 | Cessna 152 | Lancaster, California, United States | West Coast Air Center | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Sep 1989 | Bellanca 17-30A | Palo Alto, California, United States | Klouda, Linda K. | Minor injuries | - |