Aerospatiale AS355 N712CA
14 November 2020 · Hammonton, New Jersey, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 November 2020 at about 13:30 local time, a Aerospatiale AS355 registered N712CA, operated by Catalyst Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Hammonton, New Jersey, 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 13:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Hammonton, New Jersey, United States
- Nearest airport
- Hammonton Muni (N81)
- Coordinates
- 39.6673, -74.7579
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS355
- Registration
- N712CA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1987
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Catalyst Aviation LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA21LA043
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue the takeoff with a perceived mechanical deficiency.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported he was departing from a dolly connected to a Kubota. During the initial collective input, he believed he had a stuck tail rotor pedal but continued the takeoff attempt because he “wasn’t afraid of a stuck pedal.” As the helicopter started to slide left off the dolly, he increased collective, the helicopter spun to the left and impacted the Kubota, resulting in substantial damage to the tail rotor and tail boom. A post-accident examination was unable to determine a definitive mechanical, hydraulic or electrical malfunction or anomaly that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS355 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jul 2020 | Aerospatiale AS355 | Rifle, Colorado, United States | Aircam National Helicopter Services Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2019 | Aerospatiale AS355 | Dryden, Ontario, Canada | - | Unknown | - |
| 29 Mar 2017 | Aerospatiale AS355 | Snowdonia, United Kingdom | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 18 Aug 2011 | Aerospatiale AS355 | Marree, Australia, Australia | Australian Broadcasting Corp | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 2020 | Learjet 55 | Farmingdale, New Jersey, United States | Northwest Aircraft Rental Inc | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2020 | Furlong CA-6 | Manville, New Jersey, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 2020 | Cessna 172 | Manville, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 2020 | Cessna 172 | Manville, New Jersey, United States | Civil Air Patrol | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jan 2020 | Beechcraft 200 | Morristown, New Jersey, United States | L C Whitford Co Inc | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2019 | Aero Commander 695 | Mount Holly, New Jersey, United States | Jersey Ordnance Inc | No injuries | - |