Aerospatiale AS350D N6003S
21 May 1989 · Waialae Falls, Hawaii, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 21 May 1989 at about 02:00 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350D registered N6003S, operated by Papillion Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Waialae Falls, Hawaii, United States. 7 people were on board and 7 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Waialae Falls, Hawaii, United States
- Coordinates
- 21.9509, -159.6699
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350D
- Registration
- N6003S
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Papillion Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Princeville → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX89LA197
People
7 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Probable cause
IMPROPER MAINTENANCE/ADJUSTMENT OF THE ENGINE FUEL CONTROL UNIT BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, WHICH RESULTED IN A SLIGHT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM, WHILE TURNING AND TAKING OFF FROM A HOVER WITH A RELATIVELY HEAVY GROSS WEIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AND ROUGH/UNEVEN (ROCKY) TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ON-DEMAND AIR TAXI HELICOPTER WAS ON A LOCAL SIGHTSEEING FLT TO WAIALAE FALLS WITH SIX PAX ABOARD. ELEVATION OF THE FALLS WAS ABOUT 3000 FT. AFTER HOVERING AT LOW ALT NEAR THE FALLS, THE PLT BEGAN A PEDAL TURN & BEGAN FORWARD MOVEMENT FOR THE INITIAL CLIMB AWAY FROM THE FALLS. THE MAIN ROTOR RPM DECAYED & THE PLT TURNED BACK TOWARD THE UPPER FALLS, WHERE HE THOUGHT HE COULD LAND. HOWEVER, THE HELICOPTER SETTLED INTO A RAVINE, IMPACTED ROCKS & CAME TO REST. AN EXAM OF THE ENG FUEL CONTROL REVEALED THE MAXIMUM STOP WAS SET AT 93% VERSUS 99% AS SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER. ALSO, THE GOVERNOR BREAK WAS SET 400 RPM EARLY, THERE WAS NO SEAL ON THE METERING VALVE SLEEVE & THE SAFETY WIRE THRU THE GOVERNOR ADJUSTMENT HAD BEEN CUT & NOT REPLACED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS350D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1989 | Aerospatiale AS350D | Long Beach, California, United States | Island Express 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct 1989 | Emair MA1-B | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 1989 | Bryce Duster BJ-1B | Haleiwa, Oahu, Hawaii, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 1989 | Boeing 747-122 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | United Airlines | Fatal | 9 |
| 11 Jun 1989 | Beechcraft H18 | Waipio Valley, Hawaii, United States | - | Fatal | 11 |
| 31 Oct 1989 | Beechcraft 77 | Kalihi, Hawaii, United States | Great Bend Air, Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 Oct 1989 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Halawa, Molokai, Hawaii, United States | - | Fatal | 20 |