Aerospatiale AS350B2 N916AM

Summary

On 3 May 2011 at about 06:45 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350B2 registered N916AM, operated by Air Methods Corp., was involved in an accident near Camden, South Carolina, 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.

Date

3 May 2011 at 06:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Camden, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Woodward Field (CDN)

Coordinates

34.2833, -80.5647

Aircraft

Aerospatiale AS350B2

Registration

N916AM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Air Methods Corp.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camden → Camden

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA11LA278

Nobody was injured.

The instructor pilot did not maintain adequate helicopter control while maneuvering, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instructor pilot had completed two night training flights in the helicopter, which included rapid decelerations, autorotations (including standard, hovering, and turning), sloping ground landings, and simulated hydraulic failures. The instructor pilot reported that at no time during the flights did he experience a hard landing or ground contact with the lower fin tail guard; however, a subsequent inspection revealed damage to the tailboom and tail rotor gearbox that was consistent with a hard landing. In addition, the lower fin tail guard contained fresh ground-contact marks, which were not present prior to the training flights.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.