14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, October 12, 2012 in Yorktown, NY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/12/2013
Aircraft: SIKORSKY S-55B, registration: N443FD
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
During cruise flight, the pilot heard an unusual noise and, after circling while attempting to determine the source of the noise, he elected to perform a precautionary landing to a nearby farm field. During the approach to land with a quartering tailwind, the pilot used the collective to arrest the descent rate; however, after having used the full travel of the collective with no appreciable reduction in the descent rate, the helicopter landed in the soft ground, all four landing gear sank, and the helicopter rolled over and came to rest on its left side. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation. A nearby weather recording station recorded the wind about the time of the accident as being from the north-northwest at 12 knots, gusting to 16 knots. According to the pilot, the helicopter was moving forward at a speed of about 10 knots at touchdown. Considering the tailwind and the helicopter's low airspeed, it is likely that the airspeed slowed to the point where the helicopter lost translational lift and began to settle with power.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's improper decision to perform a downwind precautionary landing and the helicopter’s resultant settling with power and impact with terrain.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On October 12, 2012, about 1800 eastern daylight time, a Sikorsky S-55B, N443FD, was substantially damaged during an off airport precautionary landing near Yorktown, New York. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor and left side of the fuselage. The helicopter was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a ferry flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight destined for the Igor I Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR), Bridgeport, Connecticut. The flight originated from Newton Airport (3N5), Newton, New Jersey, approximately 30 minutes prior to the accident.
According to the pilot, while in cruise flight, with a quartering tailwind, an unusual noise was heard. He elected to perform a precautionary landing to a farm field. As the helicopter descended for the precautionary landing, the pilot utilized the collective to arrest the descent rate beginning about 30 feet above ground level. However, utilizing the full travel of the collective the helicopter continued with no noticeable reduction in descent. The helicopter landed in the field, all four landing gears sank into the soft ground, and the helicopter rolled over and came to rest on the left side of the fuselage.
PILOT INFORMATION
The pilot, age 59, held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land and sea, helicopter, and a second-class airman medical certificate issued July 24, 2012. The pilot reported about 6,800 total flight hours with approximately 4,800 total flight hours in rotorcraft and approximately 800 total flight hours in the accident helicopter make and model.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The six-seat, four-wheeled helicopter was powered by a Wright R1300-3D, 800-hp 7-cylinder radial engine. According to the pilot, the helicopter's most recent annual inspection occurred on September 14, 2008, with a recorded time of 2,594 total hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
A review of the recorded data from the Westchester County Airport (HPN), White Plains, New York, located about 15 miles to the northwest of the accident location, revealed at 1756 conditions indicated wind 350 at 12 knots with gust of 16 knots, visibility of 10 miles, cloud conditions were scattered at 3500 and 7500 feet above ground level, temperature was 10 degrees C, dewpoint was minus 1 degrees C, and the barometric altimeter was 30.23 inches of mercury.
WRECKAGE INFORMATION
Initial examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed buckling of the structure along the tail section. In addition, the main rotor blades and the left side of the helicopter sustained substantial damage. Fuel was observed at the accident location. Several ground scars, consistent with the forward and aft wheels, were noted at the accident site. The ground scars were several feet in length, approximately 1-foot in depth, and were in line with the landing direction. According to the FAA inspector who interviewed the pilot, the helicopter was moving in a forward direction at the time of touch down about 10 knots.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The engine data monitoring (EDM) system was examined by the Safety Board's Recorders Laboratory. The examination revealed that the exhaust gas temperature was between 1,000 and 1,500 degrees F and the cylinder head temperature was indicating between 275 and 325 degrees F.
According to the FAA Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, vortex ring state (settling with power) describes an aerodynamic condition where a helicopter may be in a vertical descent with up to maximum power applied, and little or no cyclic authority. The term "settling with power" comes from the fact that the helicopter keeps settling even though full engine power is applied. Among the conditions listed which were conducive to settling with power were: attempting to hover out of ground effect without maintaining precise altitude control, and downwind or steep power approaches at low forward airspeed.
NTSB Identification: ERA13LA018
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, October 12, 2012 in Yorktown, NY
Aircraft: SIKORSKY S-55B, registration: N443FD
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On October 12, 2012, about 1800 eastern daylight time, a Sikorsky S-55B, N443FD, was substantially damaged during an off airport precautionary landing near Yorktown, New York. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor and left side of the fuselage. The helicopter was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight destined for the Igor I Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR), Bridgeport, Connecticut. The flight originated from Newton Airport (3N5), Newton, New Jersey, approximately 30 minutes prior to the accident.
According to the pilot, while in cruise flight, with a quartering tailwind, an unusual noise was heard. He elected to perform a precautionary landing to a farm field. As the helicopter was descending for the precautionary landing, he utilized the collective to arrest the descent rate beginning about 30 feet above ground level. However, utilizing the full travel of the collective the helicopter continued with no noticeable reduction in descent. The helicopter landed in the field; however, all four landing gears sank into the soft ground and it rolled over and came to rest on the left side of the fuselage.
Initial examination by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that substantial damage had occurred to the main rotor blades as well as the left side of the helicopter. However, due to the helicopters position a detailed examination was not able to be accomplished at that time. The FAA inspector will examine the helicopter after it has been recovered.
http://registry.faa.gov/N443FD
http://www.flickr.com/photos
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 443FD Make/Model: S55B Description: SIKORSKY S-55B ROTORCRAFT
Date: 10/12/2012 Time: 2248
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: YORKTOWN State: NY Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N443FD SIKORSKY S-55B ROTORCRAFT LANDED IN A FIELD AND ROLLED ONTO ITS
SIDE, NEAR YORKTOWN, NY
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 2 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: GARDEN CITY, NY (EA15) Entry date: 10/15/2012
Workers at Kitchawan Farm in Yorktown look over the chopper that crashed there Friday evening.
Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News
YORKTOWN, N.Y. (WABC) -- A helicopter was forced to make a crash landing in a field in Yorktown Friday evening. There were no injuries either to the pilot or his passenger, the identities of who were not immediately available. It happened at about 6:15 p.m. The vintage N443FD, an S55B, landed in a field at a working farm, then rolled over on its side. No one on the ground was hurt. The Yorktown Police said the chopper was enroute from Newton, New Jersey to Bridgeport, Connecticut when the pilot said the on board power failed. Both the pilot and his passenger walked away from the accident and refused medical attention at the scene. The homeowners refused to comment. The FAA was on the scene. The cause of the accident was thought to be due to a malfuctioning fuel pump.
YORKTOWN — The Federal Aviation Administration is continuing its investigation into a helicopter that crashed onto a field at Kitchawan Farm, officials said this morning.
Two people on board walked away from the scene unharmed after their single-engine helicopter made a hard landing in the field and flipped over on its side about 6 p.m. Friday.
Yorktown police said the helicopter took off from Newton and was headed to an airshow near Bridgeport, Conn.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the extent of damage to the helicopter, a Sikorsky S-55B, is under investigation and that the National Transportation Safety Board determines probable causes of accidents. Their investigation could take up to a year, she said, though a preliminary report will be available in a week or two.
Initial reports indicated a malfunctioning fuel pump may have caused the crash, FAA officials said Friday.
Early today, the helicopter remained on its side in the field as horses grazed nearby. The property owners refused to allow reporters onto the farm that grows vegetables, herbs and flowers.
“They got plenty of space for crashes over there,” said neighbor Frank Bergh. “Sounds to me like the pilot knew what he was doing, that he landed in an area without a lot of trees.
Bergh, who lives across the street from Kitchawan Farm, said he was happy the helicopter did not land on his property where he has lived for 49 years.
According to the FAA, the helicopter was made in 1955 and seats 12 people. It is registered to Sparta Rotors in Newton, N.J. The company specializes in aerial photography, surveying, fire control and search and rescue. A message left at their New York City offices was not immediately returned.
In April, a single-engine plane crash-landed at the IBM research center, a little more than a mile east of Friday’s accident. That crash also did not result in serious injuries.
http://www.lohud.com
YORKTOWN — Two people walked away unharmed Friday after their helicopter crashed onto a field at Kitchawan Farms, police said. Holly Baker, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the Sikorsky S-55B made a hard landing off Kitchawan Road about 6 p.m. before flipping onto its side. Initial reports indicated a malfunctioning fuel pump may have caused the crash, Baker said.
Yorktown police, as well as and Westchester County police and the Department of Environmental Protection were at the crash site. The helicopter was said to have landed a short distance from several buildings. The property owners, however, refused to grant reporters access to the site, brusquely stating that no trespassing is permitted on the private grounds.
According to the FAA, the one-engine helicopter was made in 1955 and seats 12 people. It is registered to Sparta Rotors in Newton, N.J. According to the company’s website, Sparta Rotors, which also has offices in New York City, it specializes in aerial photography, surveying, fire control and search and rescue. A message left at the company was not immediately returned.
At 8:15 p.m., Baker said FAA authorities were on their way to the crash site and would be heading up the investigation. She could not say where the helicopter had flown out of or where it was headed. Also unclear was how badly the craft had been damaged and when it would be removed.
The crash appeared to have had little impact on the surrounding area. Traffic was flowing normally on the neighboring streets and several people living nearby reported not having seen or heard the crash. Friday's crash site is located about a mile and a half east of the IBM research center where a single-engine plane crash-landed on April 20. That crash also resulted in no serious injuries.
