Summary
On July 15, 1994, a Aerospatiale AS350B (N350MH) was involved in an accident near Kalaupapa, HI. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, with 6 people uninjured out of 7 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY MONITOR POWER REQUIRED VERSUS POWER AVAILABLE TO MAINTAIN ROTOR REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (RPM), RESULTING IN ROTOR RPM DECAY AND A FORCED LANDING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S CHANGE OF THE TOUR ROUTE WITHOUT NOTIFYING THE COMPANY, WHICH DELAYED RESCUE, AND THE LOCATION OF THE ARM AND FIRE SWITCHES FOR THE FLOTATION EQUIPMENT, WHICH REQUIRED THE PILOT TO REMOVE HIS HAND FROM THE COLLECTIVE CONTROL TO ACTIVATE THAT EQUIPMENT.
This accident is documented in NTSB report FTW94MA236. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N350MH.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY MONITOR POWER REQUIRED VERSUS POWER AVAILABLE TO MAINTAIN ROTOR REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (RPM), RESULTING IN ROTOR RPM DECAY AND A FORCED LANDING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S CHANGE OF THE TOUR ROUTE WITHOUT NOTIFYING THE COMPANY, WHICH DELAYED RESCUE, AND THE LOCATION OF THE ARM AND FIRE SWITCHES FOR THE FLOTATION EQUIPMENT, WHICH REQUIRED THE PILOT TO REMOVE HIS HAND FROM THE COLLECTIVE CONTROL TO ACTIVATE THAT EQUIPMENT.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
See Group Chairman's Factual Report.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# FTW94MA236