Aerospatiale AS-355-F1 N606SP
23 November 1996 · Taos, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 November 1996 at about 21:15 local time, a Aerospatiale AS-355-F1 registered N606SP was involved in an accident near Taos, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. 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 21:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Taos, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.3794, -105.5710
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-355-F1
- Registration
- N606SP
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Fe → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW97TA046
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A factor was terrain induced turbulence.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the public use helicopter search and rescue mission to locate and recover a deceased victim from the bottom of a canyon (650 feet deep). Winds from the west at 5 to 10 mph and throughout the day several trips were conducted into the canyon. Upon receiving notification of the location and preparedness to remove the victim, the pilot flew the helicopter to the canyon and hovered the helicopter with a portion of the left skid on a boulder. The rescue team loaded the litter into the cabin on the left side of the helicopter. As the litter was being secured and one of the rescue team members was climbing on board, 'a gust of wind caused the helicopter to yaw to the right.' As the pilot 'attempted to regain directional control, the skid started to slip on the rock, the tail pitched downward, and the vertical fin and tail rotor struck a rock.' The pilot secured the engines and set the helicopter down, straddling a boulder.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS-355 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 1995 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F1 | Daggett, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 1997 | Aerospatiale AS-355 | New York, New York, United States | Liberty Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1994 | Aerospatiale AS-355 | Jonesville, Virginia, United States | Ranger Helicopters | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Oct 2000 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F2 | Burlington, North Carolina, United States | Corporate Jets, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Jun 1992 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F | Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States | Omniflight Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1989 | Aerospatiale AS-355-F2 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Circus Circus, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep 1996 | Republic RC-3 | Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 May 1996 | Rockwell NA-265-80 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 1996 | Cessna T210M | Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Jan 1996 | Bellanca 17-30A | Belen, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1996 | Boeing B75N1 | Bernal, New Mexico, United States | Trans Mountain Air, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 1996 | Masnic SKY HOPPER II | Edgewood, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |