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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

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NTSB Report

July 11, 2004 · Hughes 369D · C-GLHQ

Nome, AK

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
July 11, 2004
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (3 uninjured)
Location
Nome, AK
Aircraft
Hughes 369D
Tail Number
C-GLHQ
Operator
Prism Helicopters
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ANC04LA077

The commercial helicopter pilot said he landed on a ridge where he had landed several times that day. He said he shut down the engine, and was applying the main rotor brake when a gust of wind lifted the forward blades, which allowed the aft moving blades to strike the tail boom. The pilot said there had been a steady 20 knot wind blowing at the site all day, but there were no problems with wind gusts on the previous landings. The main rotor blades and tail boom were damaged during the accident.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions while the helicopter was standing, which resulted in the coasting main rotor blade contacting the tail boom. A factor associated with the accident was the gusty wind condition.

Full Narrative

On July 11, 2004, about 1415 Alaska daylight time, a Canadian registered Hughes 369D helicopter, C-GLHQ, sustained substantial damage when a gust of wind resulted in the coasting main rotor blades striking the tail boom after landing at a remote site, about 80 miles northwest of Nome, Alaska. The helicopter was being operated by Prism Helicopter LTD, Wasilla, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) contract survey flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135 when the accident occurred. The commercial pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on July 13, the pilot said he landed on a ridge where he had landed several times that day. He said he shut down the engine, and was applying the main rotor brake when a gust of wind lifted the forward blades, which allowed the aft moving blades to strike the tail boom. The pilot said there had been a steady 20 knot wind blowing at the site all day, but there were no problems with wind gusts on the previous landings. He said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the helicopter prior to the accident, and that the main rotor blades and tail boom were damaged during the accident.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time14:15 AKDT
Nearest Airport0nm
Flight Plan FiledCvfr
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftHughes 369D
Tail NumberC-GLHQ
Aircraft CategoryHeli
DamageSubstantial
OperatorPrism Helicopters
Operating RulePart 135
Engines1
Engine TypeTurboshaft
Engine DetailsRolls-Royce · 250C-20B · Turboshaft · 420
Seats5

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (3 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured3
Total3
Crew 1Age 32 · Second Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind270° @ 20 kt, gusting 30 kt
Visibility20 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point68 F / 0 C
Altimeter0
Weather SourcePILO

Appendix: Source Data