14 CFR Public Use
Accident occurred Sunday, June 08, 2014 in Mesa, AZ
Aircraft: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELICOPTER 369E, registration: N504MP
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 public aircraft accident report.
On June 8, 2014, at 0056 mountain standard time, a McDonnell Douglas Helicopters 369E, N504MP, landed hard following a loss of engine power during cruise flight in Mesa, Arizona. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the City of Mesa (Police Department) as a public-use flight. The commercial pilot and commercial pilot rated tactical flight officer (TFO) were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom during the accident sequence. The local flight departed Falcon Field Airport, Mesa, Arizona at 2315 the night prior. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The flight was a routine patrol, and after flying for about 1.4 hours, the pilot performed a series of flight checks in the vicinity of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Once complete, they flew to the north and a short time later while travelling 60-70 knots, about 700 feet above ground level, the pilot heard an uncharacteristic change in engine tone accompanied by a decrease in engine speed. The pilot began to diagnose the problem, during which time a series of caution warnings lights illuminated followed by the engine-out tone.
The pilot immediately initiated an autorotation, aiming for a tree-lined field to the north. The helicopter cleared the trees, and prior to initiating the flare the pilot realized he needed to turn on the landing lights in order to properly see the ground. He was unable to turn them on in time, and he initiated the flare, landing the helicopter level on the skids. The main rotor blades subsequently struck and severed the tailboom just aft of the tail fairing.
GILBERT, Ariz. -- A Mesa Police Department helicopter crashed after its engine failed on Sunday morning, according to Sgt. Tony Landato with the Mesa Police Dept.
The two pilot police officers who were on board were not injured.
The MD500 went down at approximately 12:55 in a field in Gilbert near Baseline Road and Stapley Drive.
The tail section of the helicopter snapped off during impact.
Sgt. Landato said the officers had 10 to 15 seconds from the time the engine failed to when the helicopter hit the ground.
During that short time, they were able to navigate between structures to a small alfalfa field on some farming property.
No people on the ground were injured and no structures were damaged.
Source: http://www.azfamily.com
http://registry.faa.gov/N504MP
https://www.flickr.com/photos
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