Eurocopter AS 350 B3 N370NC

Summary

On 29 September 2021 at about 15:00 local time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B3 registered N370NC, operated by State of North Carolina, was involved in an accident near Kinston, North 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

29 September 2021 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kinston, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Kingston Regional Jetport (KISO)

Coordinates

35.3314, -77.6088

Aircraft

Eurocopter AS 350 B3

Registration

N370NC

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

State of North Carolina

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA390

Nobody was injured.

The buckling of the tail boom as a result of a hard landing event of undetermined time and location.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was on a pre-checkride flight and was conducting standard maneuvers as required by the commercial helicopter practical test standards. The flight was uneventful and lasted about an hour. He stated that, during the flight, “we had no hard landings or turbulence;” however, on the postflight checks he immediately noticed buckled metal on the tail boom near the fuselage attachment points. He said he noticed small dents on the bottom and sides of the tail boom when he first flew this helicopter in 2019; however, they were small and were checked pre- and postflight without signs of growth until this flight. An examination and review of the tail boom section by an Airbus representative and NTSB structural engineer noted wrinkled skin damage on the tail boom. Both Airbus and the NTSB agreed that this was very similar to cases in which the tail boom structure has been subjected to loads above the design load. As a result, the tail boom was permanently deformed and the structural strength was compromised, most likely from a hard landing event. The buckling of the lower portion of a semi-monocoque structure such as the tail boom is considered substantial damage since it adversely affects the structural strength and requires major repair or replacement. The exact time and date of the hard landing was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.