Airbus AS350 N351SH

Summary

On 3 August 2017 at about 22:00 local time, a Airbus AS350 registered N351SH, operated by Soloy Helicopters, LLC, was involved in an accident near Delta Junction, Alaska, 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 August 2017 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Delta Junction, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

64.4678, -144.9150

Aircraft

Airbus AS350

Registration

N351SH

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Soloy Helicopters, LLC

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Delta Junction → Delta Junction

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC17CA041

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a steel frame attached to a tracked drilling unit. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to visually identify the steel frame during the reconnaissance process.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot reported that he was transporting a passenger to a remote drilling site where a tracked drilling unit was stationed. He reported that he landed into the wind, which necessitated descending over bordering trees into the drilling site. The helicopter touched down on the dirt, and upon lowering the collective, he reported that he heard a "bang," and the helicopter slowly started to "pick up a ground wobble." The pilot shut down the helicopter, and both occupants exited without further incident. A postaccident inspection revealed that the blue and red main rotor blades sustained substantial damage from impacting a black 1.5-inch steel frame attached to the tracked drilling unit, which is used to mount a canvas weather shelter for the drilling crews. The pilot reported that the steel frame was not visible to him from above as he was descending into the drilling site. The pilot further reported that he had made multiple landings at the drilling site in the past 3 months and that, with the previous landings, he had landed farther past the tracked drilling unit, and the steel frame was always behind the helicopter. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration Helicopter Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21A, 2012) discusses high and low reconnaissance procedures and states, in part: The purpose of conducting a high reconnaissance is to determine direction and speed of the wind, a touchdown point, suitability of the landing area, approach and departure axes, and obstacles for both the approach and departure. A low reconnaissance is accomplished during the approach to the landing area. When flying the approach, verify what was observed in the high reconnaissance, and check for anything new that may have been missed at a higher altitude, such as wires and their supporting structures (poles, towers, etc.), slopes, and small crevices.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.