N2070Z

On August 27, 1995, at 1849 central daylight time, a Bell 206L-1, N2070Z, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The airline transport rated pilot, two medical technicians, and one infant did not receive injuries. The flight was being operated as an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) flight by St. Louis Helicopter Airways, Inc., under Title 14 CFR Part 135. The flight originated in Hugo, Oklahoma, at 1728. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company VFR flight plan was filed.

During interviews, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, and on the Pilot/Operator Report the following information was reported. The purpose of the flight was to transport the infant in an incubator to Mercy Hospital. After landing the helicopter at the roof top helipad, the pilot was informed that the elevator was inoperative and the stairway would not accommodate the incubator. The flight departed the roof top and during the descent toward the ground helipad, a loss of engine power occurred. The pilot initiated an autorotation; however, directly below the helicopter was "a full parking lot, then a row of trees, then a 4 lane street with more trees." Utilizing "pitch and aft" cyclic, the pilot flared the helicopter over the trees. Then the pilot recalled "lowering the pitch slightly and applying a little forward cyclic to try and build a little RPM and airspeed." The aircraft touched down in a "grassy, undulating field" and "skidded 30 yards" before coming to rest.

The FAA inspector examined the helicopter and talked with the chief pilot. Damage occurred to the upper portions of the horizontal stabilizer winglets, the lower surface of the main rotor blades, the rear landing gear crosstube, and the tailrotor driveshaft cover. The chief pilot reported "a low side governor failure as the cause of the power loss."