Aerospatiale SA342J N342WF

Summary

On 18 July 2022 at about 22:30 local time, a Aerospatiale SA342J registered N342WF, operated by Extreme Dynamic Corp, was involved in an accident near Escalante, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 July 2022 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Escalante, Utah, United States

Coordinates

37.2900, -111.1400

Aircraft

Aerospatiale SA342J

Registration

N342WF

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Extreme Dynamic Corp

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cedar City → Escalante

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA261

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to control the helicopter’s descent rate during landing, which resulted in collision with terrain.

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 transporting supplies to a remote landing site and had made multiple approaches and landings. He stated that on the final approach, cloud cover had cleared and the helicopter “felt heavy.” About 25-30 ft above the ground the helicopter began to sink and he could not recover. The helicopter hit hard and tipped forward onto its nose during landing, substantially damaging the airframe and main rotors. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.