Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL N288CH

Summary

On 18 May 2018 at about 23:00 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL registered N288CH, operated by Coastal Helicopters Inc, was involved in an accident near Yakutat, Alaska, United States. 3 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

18 May 2018 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Yakutat, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

59.0833, -138.2003

Aircraft

Aerospatiale AS350 B2 ECUREUIL

Registration

N288CH

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1990

Engines

1

Operator

Coastal Helicopters Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Juneau → Yakutat

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA289

Nobody was injured.

The helicopter’s movement during startup in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the main rotor striking the tailboom.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot reported that, during startup on an off-airport landing pad, the helicopter was facing into the wind, and the airspeed indicator was showing gusting wind conditions. As the blades began to turn, he felt a strong wind gust and heard a loud bang almost simultaneously, and the helicopter "lurched" to the right about 5°. He immediately aborted the start procedure and applied the rotor brake. Postaccident examination revealed that the helicopter's main rotor blade had struck the tail rotor driveshaft cover and damaged the tail rotor drive shaft and support assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the weather at the accident site, about the time of the accident, was wind from 130° at 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots with light, terrain-induced turbulence. The flight manual stated that the wind envelope for spinning and stopping the rotors has been substantiated for winds of 40 knots from any direction and for 50-knot headwinds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.