N187EH

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 30, 1998, at 1611 Alaska daylight time, an Aerospatiale AS-350-B2 helicopter, N187EH, and a Cessna 172RG airplane, N4948V, collided in midair, approximately four miles southeast of downtown Juneau, Alaska. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the right-side doors and fuselage. The commercial pilot and four passengers were not injured. The remaining helicopter passenger sustained serious injuries. The helicopter made an emergency landing at a mine site about 1/2 mile north of the collision point. The airplane impacted the water in the Gastineau Channel, about one mile west of the collision point, and was destroyed. The airplane's private pilot, seated in the left seat, and the commercial pilot/flight instructor, who was seated in the right-front seat, both sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A company flight plan was on file for the helicopter, and a VFR flight plan had been filed by the airplane pilot.

The helicopter flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 135 as an air tour flight, transporting cruise ship passengers to the Juneau ice fields. The helicopter was operated by ERA Aviation, Inc., of Anchorage, Alaska. The flight departed the ERA heliport, 10 miles west of the collision point, as the third ship in a flight of three. The first two helicopters departed at 1602 and 1603. The accident helicopter was delayed on the pad while the pilot adjusted a passenger's seat belt, and departed at 1606.

The airplane flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a U.S. Government civil flight. The airplane was owned by Take Flight Alaska, Inc., of Anchorage, and was rented and operated by the Federal Aviation Administration, Alaskan Region, in Anchorage. The accident flight was the second flight of the day for the airplane occupants. The flight departed Sitka, Alaska, for Petersburg, Alaska, at 1343. Then departed Petersburg at 1525, for the Juneau International Airport, Juneau, Alaska. The airplane's pilot contacted the FAA Juneau Flight Service Station (AFSS) on 122.2 MHz at 1608, said that N4948V was 15 miles down Gastineau Channel, and closed the VFR flight plan. No other transmissions were received from the airplane.

The helicopter pilot stated to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) during an interview on May 31, that he had just crossed Gastineau Channel from Treadwell on a magnetic heading of about 040 degrees at 2,000 feet above sea level (msl), and was beginning a climb, when the helicopter was impacted from the right side. The pilot stated that the passenger's audio narration tape ended just as the helicopter crossed the channel, and he had just asked how his passengers were doing.

None of the helicopter occupants said they saw the airplane prior to the collision. The passenger seated in the right-rear seat told the IIC that he was looking 30 degrees to the right of the helicopter's nose at the moment of impact. He said "I saw a flash of something white and angular, to the right, which I thought was a large bird."

The helicopter pilot indicated that at the time of collision, the helicopter was thrown onto its left side, pitched about 70 to 80 degrees nose down, and his feet were knocked off the pedals. He said that he regained control of the helicopter, immediately began an emergency descent to land, and transmitted that "187 is going down" on 123.05 MHz, 118.7 MHz, and on the company FM radio frequency. The pilot related that he entered an autorotative descent, recognized that the helicopter was controllable, and completed a power-on landing.

After landing, he noted that the passenger seated in the right-rear seat was injured, and that there was debris, including a wingtip light, in the aft cabin. He told the NTSB IIC that it was at that point he realized his helicopter had collided with an airplane.

Witnesses on the ground heard a loud noise, looked up, then saw the airplane on a westerly heading, and the helicopter on a northerly heading, flying away from each other. The airplane was described as momentarily remaining level, appearing to lose a piece of wing, then spiraling vertically into the water.

An air taxi pilot told the IIC that as he was exiting the Gastineau Channel northeast bound up the Taku Inlet about 1605, he saw a white Cessna enter the Gastineau Channel westbound. He said he did not hear any transmissions from this airplane on 123.05 MHz.

INJURIES TO PERSONS

The two occupants of the Cessna 172RG sustained fatal injuries. Both were attached to their seats by seatbelts and shoulder harnesses. The pilot was seated in the left pilot seat, and the pilot-rated passenger was in the right pilot seat.

The passenger seated in the right-rear seat of the helicopter sustained a closed fracture to his right lower leg. The remaining five occupants of the helicopter were not injured.

DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT

The helicopter sustained substantial impact damage to the right side of the cabin and fuselage, damage to antennas mounted under the tail boom, and surface scratches to the lower vertical stabilizer and both tail rotor blades.

The airplane was destroyed by a combination of collision and water impact forces.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

Helicopter

The pilot of the helicopter has a commercial helicopter pilot certificate, and a private pilot certificate for single-engine land airplanes. He holds instrument ratings in both helicopters and single-engine airplanes. In addition, he was rated as a flight instructor in helicopters. He had a first class medical certificate issued on July 18, 1997, with no limitations. The pilot is 75 inches tall, with a sitting height of 33 1/2 inches from the seat pan to his eyes.

The helicopter pilot was hired by the company on April 19, 1997, and originally assigned to the Anchorage, Alaska base. He was authorized to fly AS-350, BH-212, and BH-412 helicopters for the company. The helicopter pilot's last flight review was his annual 14 CFR Part 135.293 and 135.299 competency and line checks. These were performed by a company check airman on March 20, 1998, in an AS-350-B2 helicopter.

At the time of the accident, the helicopter pilot had accumulated about 2,350 total flight hours, 2,250 in helicopters, and 403 hours in the AS-350. In the 90 and 30 days prior to the accident, he had flown 35 and 23 hours, respectively. On the day of the accident, the pilot had flown 2.5 hours on four previous air tours in the accident helicopter. The accident flight was his fifth flight of the day. This was the second season that he flew tours for the company in the Juneau area. He had acquired 17 hours flying in the Juneau area this season, all within the previous 7 days.

The pilot told the NTSB IIC during an interview on June 10, that he normally sleeps five to six hours per night, from midnight until 0600. He said that the night prior to the accident he attended a concert, and slept his normal amount. On the day of the accident, he preflighted his helicopter, and then slept another hour before he began his flights. He also indicated his sleep patterns were normal the previous two nights.

Airplane

The pilot of the airplane held a private pilot certificate with privileges for single-engine land airplanes which was issued on April 19, 1977. In addition, he held a certificate as an FAA control tower operator. According to the pilot's personal flight logbook which was found in the airplane, he had accumulated 433 hours of flight experience at the time of the accident. The last entry in this logbook was the previous flight on May 30, 1998. The pilot's logbook indicated that he had flown 20 hours in the previous 90 days, all accumulated in the previous 30 days.

The pilot held a third class medical certificate issued on June 13, 1996, with the limitation that he have glasses available for near vision. His medical certificate, and Alaska driver's license, indicated his height to be 72 inches. His estimated sitting height, from seat pan to eyes, was 33 1/2 inches.

A review of the pilot's logbook, which was found in the airplane, had entries from Sept 23, 1969, to the day of the accident. No entries indicated any flights had been conducted in the Juneau, or southeast Alaska, area.

The pilot was employed by the FAA as a budget coordinator for the National Airspace Implementation Center, located at the FAA Alaskan Region headquarters in Anchorage. Each summer the pilot would travel to all facilities he was responsible for to assess future budgetary requirements. The operation of the airplane was for transportation in support of the pilot's job. A review of FAA purchase order records revealed that the accident airplane's rental and fuel purchases on this trip had been paid with U.S. Government SF-44 "purchase order-invoice-vouchers."

The sole passenger in the airplane held a commercial pilot certificate issued on August 30, 1991, with ratings for single-engine land and sea airplanes, multiengine airplanes, and instruments. She also held a flight instructor certificate with privileges for single-engine airplanes, with an instrument rating. She held a first class medical certificate issued on February 20, 1998, with the restriction that she wear corrective lenses. Her uncorrected distant vision was 20/200, corrected to 20/20. She possessed a Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA) for visual acuity, issued on February 9, 1977. Her height was 64 inches.

According to her logbook, the passenger had accumulated 1,795 hours of flight experience. In the previous 90 and 30 days, she had flown 32 and 28 hours, respectively. A review of her pilot logbook, which was found in the accident airplane, showed that she had logged pilot-in-command and flight instructor time for all previous flights on this trip. No record was found of previous flight experience in the Juneau, or southeast Alaska, area.

The passenger was employed by Lockheed-Martin, Inc., as a support contractor a...