Hughes 500D C-GVHG
14 July 2004 · Iliamna, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 July 2004 at about 19:00 local time, a Hughes 500D registered C-GVHG, operated by Prism Helicopters Ltd, was involved in an accident near Iliamna, Alaska, United States. One person was 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 19:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Iliamna, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 59.8833, -155.3000
- Aircraft
- Hughes 500D
- Registration
- C-GVHG
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Prism Helicopters Ltd
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Iliamna → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC04LA079
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The ground crew's failure to use proper procedures while securing a sling load to the helicopter, which resulted in foreign object damage to the helicopter's main rotor system while idling.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial helicopter pilot reported the helicopter was sitting and running at flight-idle while he and two helpers prepared a sling load. He said he was climbing into the helicopter, and did not see the activity, but one of the helpers standing near the cargo door threw a rope to the other helper. He said the rope was inadvertently tossed into the main rotor system, and wrapped around the rotor head. The pilot indicated that the main rotor blades and rotor head received structural damage during the encounter with the rope.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 500 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 2005 | Hughes 500D | Ambler, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 2002 | Hughes 500 | Carnation, Washington, United States | Charles F. Conner | No injuries | - |
| 18 Feb 2000 | Hughes 500C | Pohnpei | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 2000 | Hughes 500C | Salina, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2010 | Hughes 500 | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States | County of Gwinnett Georgia | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 2011 | Hughes 500D | Ambler, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 2004 | Piper PA-22-160 | Kenai, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 2004 | Piper PA-18-150 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Eric A. Swenson | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2004 | Cessna 185 | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2004 | Beechcraft 36 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | John Collins | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Dec 2004 | Boeing 747SR-146B SF | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 2004 | Christen HUSKY A-1 | Bethel, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |