Aerospatiale AS 350B N370WM

Summary

On 8 April 1997 at about 12:44 local time, a Aerospatiale AS 350B registered N370WM was involved in an accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 April 1997 at 12:44

Classification

Accident

Location

West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Palm Beach International (PBI)

Coordinates

26.6603, -80.0902

Aircraft

Aerospatiale AS 350B

Registration

N370WM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Stuart

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA97GA119

5 people were seriously injured.

Failure of the pilot-in-command to recognize that the main rotor rpm was decreasing and his failure to maintain the main rotor rpm during the autorotative landing resulting in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of engine power due to partial blockage of the engine air inlet screen. Also contributing was inadequate inspection of the airplane following maintenance by other maintenance personnel for their failure to remove a paint masking roll from the canopy. Additionally, inadequate preflight of the helicopter by the pilot for his failure to observe the roll of paint masking material and weight and balance exceeded.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The day before the accident, spot painting was performed to the upper corners of the windshield, and the mechanic failed to remove the roll of masking material from the canopy. During the preflight without using a checklist, the pilot did not notice the roll of masking material. Weight and balance calculations were not performed by the pilot, and postaccident calculations revealed that the helicopter was 76 pounds over gross weight at takeoff. During the initial climb, a portion of the roll of masking material fell from the helicopter, and about 13 feet wrapped around the main rotor mast. Additionally, about 5 feet was partially sucked over and into the engine inlet. The engine experienced a partial loss of power while climbing about 150 feet agl, with a resulting decrease in main rotor rpm. The low rotor warning was heard by the passengers followed by a hard landing. Postcrash the engine was placed in a test cell and found to operate normally. The checklist does not specifically mention to check the oil cooler inlet area or forward of that area during preflight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.