Bell 429 N1SP

Summary

On 11 July 2016 at about 22:50 local time, a Bell 429 registered N1SP, operated by State of Delaware, was involved in an accident near Georgetown, Delaware, United States. 4 people were on board and one died. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 July 2016 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Georgetown, Delaware, United States

Nearest airport

Delaware Coastal (GED)

Coordinates

38.6875, -75.3592

Aircraft

Bell 429

Registration

N1SP

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2013

Engines

2

Operator

State of Delaware

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Georgetown → Georgetown

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA253

1 person died.

The emergency response team's failure to ensure that the system operator was secured to the helicopter, which resulted in his fall during the recurrent rescue hoist training operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the flight was for an emergency response team to complete recurrent rescue hoist training from the helicopter. The three-person team included a rescue specialist, a system operator, and a safety officer. Each crewmember needed to complete 3 evolutions in each position to complete the recurrent training. During an evolution, the system operator would be positioned on the helicopter's skid while the rescue specialist would be lowered from, then picked up and brought back into, the helicopter as it hovered about 100 ft above ground level. After three evolutions, the pilot would land the helicopter; the crew would rotate positions and restart the process. According to a rescue checklist, the security of each member's safety harness was checked before each takeoff. The accident flight was the seventh evolution of the day, and the first flight where the fatally-injured crewmember acted as the system operator. The safety officer and rescue specialist reported they checked and verified that the restraints were secure. The helicopter then lifted off the ground, moved to the practice area, and the system operator requested and was granted permission by the pilot to move to the helicopter skid. The system operator stepped onto the skid and fell from the helicopter. The pilot stated that throughout the accident sequence, the crew was not rushing while they completed the checklists. Examination of the system operator's equipment did not reveal any failures or malfunctions that would explain the fall. Additionally, examination of the tether to the helicopter did not reveal any abnormalities. In the absence of any equipment failure, it is likely that the system operator was not fastened to the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.