Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Federal Aviation Administration: Wayne County Airport Authority should be fined for airfield conditions during 2014 storm


DETROIT -   The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday proposed a $200,000 civil penalty against Detroit’s Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) for allegedly failing to maintain safe airfield conditions during a November 2014 storm.

The FAA alleges that WCAA, which operates Detroit Metro-Wayne County International Airport (DTW), failed to follow its FAA-mandated Snow and Ice Control Plan (SICP) during the storm. As a result, it allegedly allowed various DTW airfield surfaces to become unsafe and failed to limit air carrier operations to portions of the airfield where they could safely occur.

Among other things, the FAA alleges that WCAA failed to treat a taxiway and a deicing pad with deicer fluid. One commercial jet slid off the untreated taxiway and onto the grass, and a cargo jet became stranded due to icy conditions after exiting a runway.

Additionally, three commercial airliners became stranded on the de-icing pad for approximately three hours each due to icy pavement conditions, the FAA alleges.

The FAA further alleges that WCAA failed to notify airlines of changing runway conditions; activate the DTW “snow desk” to coordinate snow removal operations; monitor snow removal operations and issue information about conditions affecting the runways, taxiways and ramp areas; conduct frequent runway inspections and friction tests; provide enough qualified personnel on the airfield to comply with the SICP; and issue a timely notice that a runway was closed.

In January 2014, representatives from the FAA and WCAA met to discuss concerns about winter operations at DTW. Additionally, the FAA issued a warning letter to WCAA in May 2014 for failing to comply with their SICP during a February 2014 storm.

WCAA has 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.

Statement from Wayne County Airport Authority

The Airport Authority has an excellent history of providing a safe and secure airfield at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and safety remains our number one priority.

During two extraordinary weather events in February 2014 and November 2014, there were certain deviations from the WCAA's Snow and Ice Control Plan. 

The Authority has already addressed and corrected its procedures. Over the last two snow seasons, and for the next two years, the Authority has and will be adding $13 million worth of new or upgraded heavy snow and ice equipment. Detroit Metropolitan Airport has also added nine employees to our hard-working and professional maintenance team to address snow and ice control. Further, four new operations personnel and scheduling adjustments have been added to enhance airfield monitoring during these events.

The events that precipitated this investigation occurred in extraordinary circumstances.

For instance, in the November 22, 2014 event, prior to the precipitation, airport maintenance applied 9,700 gallons of liquid pavement de-icer and 24 tons of “hot” sand to the airfield between 3:30 and 6 a.m. yet the relentless subsequent ice storm created slippery conditions.

In the February 5, 2014 event, two regional jets became stuck in snow after turning onto untreated taxiways and one private Beechcraft pilot turned onto a Fire Access Road instead of a treated taxiway as he had been instructed by the control tower.

The Airport Authority is committed to working cooperatively among all of its departments, with its airline partners and the FAA to continue to fine-tune and improve winter weather procedures.

The FAA approved snow plan for this season was a collaborative effort among the FAA region, the control tower in Detroit and all airlines serving DTW.

- Story and video:  http://www.clickondetroit.com

Feds to review flight paths as Bay Area noise complaints take off

Jon Zweig looks at an airplane tracking program in his house in Palo Alto, California, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. 



Palo Alto resident Jon Zweig, 67, can identify just about every plane that flies overhead — and not because he’s an aviation buff.

Flyovers have gotten so loud and frequent above his two-story home on a leafy street west of Highway 101 that they all but force him to turn his attention skyward, where he’s come to learn the makes and models of many jets.

“What do we have here?” asked the retired doctor one afternoon this week, after being interrupted by what he discerned was the whistle of an Airbus A320. “It’s really loud. It makes a noise like blowing over a bottle. I find the sound physically painful — like fingernails on a blackboard.”

It hasn’t always been this way. But over the past year, the Federal Aviation Administration has launched a major modernization of the nation’s air traffic control systems, resulting in new flight paths in and out of Bay Area airports.

Some people may be noticing less noise in recent months. But thousands of others like Zweig between Palo Alto and Santa Cruz, blame the high-tech change for putting more rumbling planes above their homes — and they’re not happy.

In a small victory for these residents, the FAA this week agreed to review the rerouted flights. The agency, however, stopped short of promising changes, leaving residents uncertain of whether their once quiet neighborhoods will remain drowned in the buzz of jets, which could affect their health and home values.

“It’s a good first step,” said Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Democrat representing Palo Alto, who worked with Rep. Sam Farr, D-Monterey, and Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, to draw the federal government’s attention to the noise.

She said she’ll push for more specifics about what steps the FAA will take and when. “My constituents deserve to know exactly what the plan is,” Eshoo said.

The FAA’s traffic-control project, known as NextGen, is an effort to guide planes more precisely, saving time and fuel and boosting safety. The program subs out older, ground-based navigation systems in favor of satellite technology.

NextGen has rolled out in a few parts of the country, including airports in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento late last year. While the FAA’s preliminary review anticipated no “significant noise impact” for Northern California, complaints in the region have skyrocketed.

The latest tally for San Francisco International Airport, from August, counted 62,391 noise complaints — compared to just 824 during the same month last year. Prior months also showed spikes, with the bulk of protest coming from Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Palo Alto.

SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said there haven’t been major shifts in flight patterns, just “multiple, incremental” changes that may be putting planes either above new areas or slightly closer to the ground.

Airport officials, who are at the mercy of the federal government when it comes to flight plans, have followed up on complaints in Palo Alto and points south. They say that while there may be more noise, it hasn’t exceeded the acceptable standard: 65 decibels on a weighted average over 24 hours.

At Zweig’s home off the Oregon Expressway, however, a reporter using an iPhone app on Wednesday recorded many flights reaching 65 decibels, or close to it, as they flew over — which happens 10 to 12 times an hour, Zweig estimates. That volume is equivalent to a moderately lively conversation.

“It’s not quite as loud as a vacuum cleaner,” Zweig said. “But it definitely gets your attention. It makes it hard to concentrate on your work or read.”

Zweig has joined a group of irritated residents, called Sky Posse Palo Alto, which estimates the city has seen a 65 percent uptick in airplanes flying at 3,000 to 4,000 feet during the past two years.

For many on Sky Posse’s 1,100-member mailing list, the problems go beyond the distraction that Zweig experiences. The group’s website cites sleep disruption, stress, exposure to pollutants and declining property values as potential issues.

“We don’t think all the noise should be moved into the next guy’s yard,” said Zweig, who proposes putting more flights over San Francisco Bay to avoid neighborhoods. “And what can’t be sent over the bay should be spread out.”

FAA officials did not specify what changes are likely, but their agreement to “explore modifications” in Northern California said they will look into steering more planes over water and to higher elevations.

“We are committed to working with the communities and members of Congress to analyze a wide range of suggestions aimed at addressing local noise issues,” FAA spokesman Ian Gregor wrote in an e-mail to The Chronicle.

Two pieces of legislation, each supported by Eshoo, Farr and Speier, aim to prevent other parts of the country from experiencing the problems seen in the Bay Area.

One of the bills would reestablish the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Noise Abatement to monitor planes. The other would require the FAA to work with communities on noise issues.

- Source:  http://www.sfgate.com

Commercial, cargo jet noise concerns



SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —In the skies over the Central Coast, there are concerns about commercial and cargo jet noise in the region. For months people in Santa Cruz County have been trying to get the Federal Aviation Administration to address the problem.

Now, it looks like they've captured the FAA's attention.

A group called Save Our Skies, has met twice with FAA officials who came back with a 12-page report after those meetings.

Save Our Skies doesn't believe it goes far enough in addressing jet noise concerns

"The worst thing is a plane going over your head at 10,000 feet every one to two minutes apart," a member of Save Our Skies said.

Hundreds of flights pass over Grant Weseman's home every day through routes designed by a state-of-the-art air traffic control system implemented nationwide by the FAA.

It's called, "Nextgen," the Next Generation Air Transportation System. It's purpose is to cut down on air traffic congestion.

"When they come in, I note the altitude, the type of plane, and I click the computer and then it goes to SFO noise office and I've done hundreds and hundreds of complaints," Weseman said.

In a letter prepared for U.S. Representatives Anna Eshoo, Jackie Speier, and Sam Farr, the FAA announced a new three-phased initiative that will explore a variety of possible modifications to flight speeds, altitudes, and waypoint locations.

"What we're trying to do is very complicated to get all of these things have the FAA address," Sam Farr said.

"Unfortunately, it is extremely vague and doesn't really lay out a plan of action that we think it's workable at this point," Save Our Skies Co-Chair, Patrick Meyer said.

Save Our Skies would like the FAA to specify a date when these actions will be implemented.

They also want flight patterns moved away from densely populated areas and for jets to begin their descent from higher altitudes.

"As we look at it now, it basically doesn't meet any of the needs that we have right now to relieve us of the jet noise," Meyer said.

Between March and August of this year, the SFO noise abatement website logged 147,442 complaints from residents living near the flight paths.

In Santa Cruz County, residents filed 29,370 noise complaints, with almost 415 complaints a day in August.

"Why did they try and change the flight path that had worked so well for forty years? And why they fixed it with something that was broken from the beginning," Grant Weseman asked.

"It developed a detailed plan of action to explore proposed modifications. We are committed to working with the communities and members of Congress to analyze a wide range of suggestions aimed at addressing these local noise issues," the FAA said.

Source: http://www.ksbw.com

Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil, N711BE: Fatal accident occurred November 18, 2015 at McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ), Carlsbad, San Diego County, California

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Analysis 

The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger departed for a flight in the pilot's newly purchased helicopter. The pilot practiced several landings in a field during the flight and then flew back to the departure airport, where the approach and hover taxi to the ramp were uneventful. The pilot made a landing attempt on a dolly but landed only partially on the dolly, which caused the helicopter to pitch nose up and strike the ground with its tail. The helicopter hit the dolly with such force that the dolly broke free from the chocks securing it and spun around. The helicopter climbed and spun upwards aggressively but stabilized after rotating 270° to the right.

The pilot then landed the helicopter in an abnormal location that straddled the ramp and a taxiway. Ground crew personnel re-secured the dolly with chocks, and, after about 2 1/2 minutes, the pilot again attempted to land on the dolly, this time from the opposite direction. He made two unsuccessful attempts but was unable to maintain a stabilized approach each time. Although the pilot had the option to land on the ramp, he persisted in attempting to land on the dolly. On his third attempt, he again landed partially on the dolly, and the helicopter rocked back and forth striking the ground with its tailskid, before violently climbing and pitching nose down, while rolling right. The helicopter spun 180° to the left and pitched up steeply, and the tail rotor and vertical stabilizer struck the ground and separated. The helicopter hit the ground left side low, bounced, and rotated another 360° before landing hard on its belly. The main rotor blades continued to spin and the engine continued to operate; the helicopter spun on its belly at a rate of about one revolution per second for more than 5 minutes, while gradually sliding about 530 ft along the ramp. The tailboom and horizontal stabilizer then separated, and the helicopter violently rolled onto its side, shed its main rotor blades, and came to rest.

Onboard video showed that the pilot became incapacitated during the final ground collision. The passenger remained conscious after the impact and reached for the throttle on the pilot's collective control shortly after the helicopter started to spin, but the throttle position remained unchanged. He then attempted to brace himself against the glare shield, but he eventually became incapacitated after about 2 minutes due to his injuries, the forces imposed by the spinning helicopter, or both. He did not make any attempt to reach up for the engine-start selector or the fuel shutoff lever.

Postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies with the helicopter's airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

In the weeks preceding the accident, the pilot had expressed concern to multiple flight instructors that he was having difficulty adjusting to the flight characteristics of the helicopter. In particular, he found dolly-landings challenging.

Although the pilot had many years of experience flying a Bell 407 helicopter, there were two significant differences between the Bell 407 and the accident helicopter. First, their main rotor systems rotated in opposite directions; therefore, the foot pedal inputs required to counteract changes in torque during takeoff and landing were opposite. (The pilot's difficulty adapting to this difference was evidenced during most of the previous takeoffs captured by the onboard video when the helicopter yawed significantly after lifting off.) Second, the tips of the landing skids, which were used as a visual reference during landing, were forward of the pilot in the Bell 407 but just aft of the pilot in the accident helicopter. This change in visual reference would have been particularly significant during dolly landings, which require landing on a specific point directly below the pilot's field of view.

The pilot had received about 11 hours of flight instruction in the helicopter, and, despite the fact that his instructors advised him not to fly without an instructor, he opted to fly with a passenger instead of an instructor on the accident flight. Although the passenger held a helicopter rating, he was not an instructor or professional helicopter pilot and had about 180 hours total in helicopters. Furthermore, it was likely that he had little or no experience in the accident helicopter make and model.

The pilot's instructors reported a mobility problem with the pilot's left arm that affected his ability to reach overhead, but this problem likely did not contribute to the accident, because he had no need to reach overhead during landing. Postmortem toxicology testing identified amlodipine, valsartan, and rosuvastatin as well as diphenhydramine at 0.538 ug/ml and alprazolam at less than 0.05 mg/l in the pilot's blood. The pilot had heart disease and hypertension and used amlodipine, valsartan, and rosuvastatin for their treatment; however, these conditions and medications most likely did not contribute to the accident as they do not affect judgment or decision-making. Alprazolam is a significant central nervous system (CNS) depressant with the lower end of the therapeutic range at 0.0060 mg/l. The exact amount of alprazolam in the pilot could not be determined by testing and may have been very low.

The therapeutic range for diphenhydramine is 0.0250 to 0.1120 ug/ml. However, diphenhydramine undergoes postmortem redistribution, and postmortem central blood levels may increase by about three times. When divided by three or four, the pilot's postmortem level suggests that he had therapeutic levels at the time of the crash. Compared to other antihistamines, diphenhydramine causes marked sedation and is also a CNS depressant. In addition, it may cause altered mood and impaired cognitive and psychomotor performance. The use of two CNS depressants simultaneously typically results in cognitive impairment which is magnified well beyond the simple addition of the effects, even when the amount of one of them may be low. Therefore, the pilot's decision-making, judgment, and psychomotor performance were most likely impaired by the combination of CNS depressants, diphenhydramine and alprazolam. 

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

The pilot's loss of control during landing on a dolly. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's decision to conduct the flight without an instructor despite multiple flight instructors' recommendations to the contrary, his failure to land on the ramp when he experienced difficulty landing on the dolly, and his impaired decision-making, judgment, and psychomotor performance, due to his use of a combination of two psychoactive drugs.

Wayne Lewis
A close friend said his friend, Wayne, had an immense passion for flying and died doing what he loved. “He had a great love for helicopters,” said Marty Reed, referring to his late friend, Wayne Lewis. “He’d be the first one to tell you he was doing what he loved."


Bruce Erickson

Bruce was a bundle of kinetic energy, and this was most pronounced in his love of machines. He had “the touch” with everything mechanical, and of course, anything that took flight. Bruce came alive at the mere mention of any plane. Bruce logged over 30,000 hours in prop planes, turboprops, jets, floatplanes, Huskies, and a variety of helicopters. In fact, Bruce’s first flying lesson was at age 11. By age 16, he was flying on his own. Over the next 50 years that followed, he used his seat in the cockpit as a means to create opportunities in life and in business, shrinking the world and bringing some of it home to Montana. Never was Bruce more at peace in this world than when he soared above our mountains and rivers; one with the clouds, the eagles, and all others who seek to escape Earth’s bounds. Today, he is at rest where he was always most at home.



The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Diego, California
Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses; Le Bourget, FN

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

Guaranty Development Company
Bruce Erickson, President  & CEO

http://registry.faa.gov/N711BE




NTSB Identification: WPR16FA029
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 18, 2015 in Carlsbad, CA
Aircraft: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS AS350B3E, registration: N711BE
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On November 18, 2015, at 1623 Pacific standard time, an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3E, N711BE, departed controlled flight while landing on a dolly at Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad, California. The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The pilot, who was the owner, was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local personal flight departed Carlsbad at 1412. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to gain familiarity with the helicopter, which he had recently purchased. The entire accident sequence was captured on a series of airport security cameras and the mobile phone cameras of multiple witnesses.

About 2 hours before the accident, the helicopter departed from its dolly on the east end of the Premier Jet fixed base operator (FBO) ramp, which was located midfield on the south side of runway 6/24. After departure, line crew moved the dolly to the west end of the ramp.

Upon returning, the helicopter approached the airport from the northeast and was cleared to land on runway 24. It descended to midfield, turned left at taxiway A3, and approached the ramp in a low hover via the parallel taxiway A. The helicopter then began an approach to the dolly from the east, directly toward the sun. The helicopter landed short of, and partially on, the dolly with the center of its skids contacting the dolly's aft edge. The helicopter immediately rocked back, pitching nose up, and its tailskid struck the ground. The helicopter then began a series of fore and aft oscillations, and the dolly broke free from its front left chock, rotated to the right, and pivoted around its rear right wheel. The helicopter spun rapidly with the dolly for the first quarter of the turn and then quickly spiraled upward 270° to the right. The dolly came to rest to the north, having rotated 180°. The pilot repositioned the helicopter and landed it on the ground, straddling the ramp and taxiway A. Just before landing, the pilot was queried by the air traffic control tower controller and responded, "yeah, they didn't chock my cart, and I was like a skateboard out here," The tower controller then requested that the pilot switch to the ground control frequency.



During the next 2 1/2 minutes, the line crew re-secured the dolly, installing chocks on three of the four wheels. The pilot then took off and climbed the helicopter to about 20 ft while it yawed to the left, and he repositioned it for an approach to the dolly now from the west. During the next 4 1/2 minutes, the pilot made three landing attempts, getting the helicopter to within about 5 ft vertically of the dolly on the first two attempts. After the first attempt, the pilot repositioned the helicopter by circling back around the dolly. After the second attempt, the pilot performed a hovering climb and backed the helicopter into position. A video of the third and final landing attempt was captured by a witness, who was located about 130 ft to the south. The witness was initially watching the helicopter from his airplane on the ramp, but he was concerned that the helicopter might crash, so he exited the airplane and positioned himself behind a car at the corner of the FBO's hangar.

The video revealed that the helicopter hovered over the dolly for about 60 seconds and then landed short, teetering on the aft edge of the dolly (Image 1). The tailskid almost struck the ground, and the helicopter then rapidly pitched forward (Image 2) and then aft again. The tailskid then struck the ground (Image 3), and the helicopter pitched forward, rolled right (Images 4 and 5), and climbed out of view behind the hangar. Security cameras revealed that the helicopter then spun 180° to the left, and the nose pitched up to a 45° attitude. The tail rotor and vertical stabilizer assembly then struck the ground and separated, and the helicopter hit the ground left side low, bounced, and rotated another 360° before landing hard on its belly. Once on the ground, the main rotor blades continued to spin, while the helicopter started spinning on its belly, as the engine continued to operate (Image 6).

The helicopter continued spinning at a rate of about one revolution per second for the next 5 minutes while incrementally sliding about 530 ft east along the ramp. The tailboom and horizontal stabilizer then separated, and the helicopter rolled onto its side, shedding the main rotor blades. The engine continued operating for another 30 seconds while the fire crew doused the helicopter. White smoke billowed from the engine's exhaust after the helicopter came to rest, but there was no fire.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot was seated in the front right seat, and the pilot-rated passenger was seated in the front left seat.

Pilot

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and sea, multiengine land, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft-helicopter. He also held a type rating for the Cessna Citation Jet (CE-525S).

The pilot held a third-class medical certificate issued on January 19, 2015, with the limitation that he must have available glasses for near vision.

No personal flight records were located for the pilot. At the time of his last medical application, he reported a total flight time of 25,000 hours, with 200 hours logged in the last 6 months. The pilot reported the same numbers on three other applications over the 5-year period preceding the accident, and 25,400 hours total time on his application dated January 18, 2011. His helicopter rating was issued in May 2001, at which time he reported on his rating application a total flight time of 14,000 hours in airplanes.

The pilot had previously owned and flown a Cessna Citation business jet airplane and a Bell 407 helicopter. His 2001 helicopter checkride flight took place in a Bell 206B3. At the time of the accident, he was receiving recurrent training for the Citation, with the most recent flight 2 days before the accident. The pilot purchased the accident helicopter on October 29, 2015, and had flown demonstration and familiarization flights in it since September 20. According to the helicopter's flight logs, those flights totaled about 8.8 hours and were all conducted with a flight instructor present. The pilot then flew the helicopter with another instructor for an additional 2 hours on November 13.

According to the two instructors who had flown with the pilot for the familiarization flights and the flight instructor who provided training in the Citation, the accident flight was the first time the pilot had flown in an AS350 without an instructor present. All had recommended that the pilot gain further instruction before flying without an instructor, and the pilot had concurred.

The three instructors shared similar insights into the pilot's flying skills, reporting that, while he appeared to have extensive flying experience, he was anxious about the handling characteristics of the AS350 compared to the Bell 407, particularly during landing. The pilot said that he was having difficulty anticipating flight control forces because the helicopter controls felt "backwards" due to the opposing rotor direction of the AS350 compared to the Bell 407. Furthermore, he was having trouble landing on the dolly partly because the tips of the skids were just behind his seating location in the AS350, as opposed to the Bell 407, where he could see the skids just forward and below. Both helicopter instructors reported performing multiple dolly and simulated dolly landings with the pilot, stating that, although the pilot was not completely at ease, he was able to ultimately land on the dolly unaided. The pilot told the Citation instructor that, although he had practiced many landings in the helicopter, he still did not feel proficient and thought that the helicopter was very unstable close to the ground, especially when it was close to the dolly.

One of the helicopter instructors reported that the pilot wanted to enable the helicopter's stability augmentation system (SAS) for landings because he had been told it would help his landings. The instructor stated that he wanted the pilot to be able to fly the helicopter proficiently without the use of the SAS. However, for demonstration purposes, they did two landings with the SAS enabled. During those attempts, the pilot appeared to be "fighting" against the SAS control inputs, with unsatisfactory results, and he did not understand how to use the SAS release button on the cyclic to override the SAS control inputs. Therefore, the pilot and instructor decided to turn the system off.

Both helicopter instructors reported that the pilot appeared to have suffered an injury that restricted movement of his left arm. He could use his left arm to operate the flight controls and reach the lower sections of the flight panel, but he could not reach the upper controls, including the engine start selector panel, without the supportive aid of his right arm. One instructor stated that because of the injury, the pilot was unable to climb up onto the helicopter to perform preflight examinations of the rotor head. One helicopter instructor and the Citation instructor stated that the pilot's hands often shook and that it was particularly obvious when he held a pen, although once he grasped the flight controls the shaking stopped.

Both helicopter instructors suggested that the pilot take formal factory-approved flight training, and one instructor stated that he had declined to provide any further instruction until the pilot had taken training at the Airbus Helicopters flight school. According to Airbus Helicopters, in early October, the pilot had signed up for a "B3 Pilot Transition Class" scheduled for November 2, but 2 days before the class he called to defer the training. No further communication from the pilot was received by Airbus Helicopters.

The Citation instructor, who had known the pilot for 6 years, reported that the pilot was becoming concerned that age was starting to affect his reaction time when flying. The instructor had observed the pilot's degrading flight performance and had conversations with him about how maintaining proficiency through regular flying could help. He stated that the pilot was no longer fully proficient in the Citation, that his reaction times were becoming slower, and that he would often let the airplane get ahead of him. As such, the instructor recommended that the pilot always fly with him. He stated that the pilot mentioned that he was going to fly the helicopter for practice with a friend on the day of the accident.

The pilot confided in all three instructors that, due to the difficulties he was having mastering the AS350, he was most likely going to sell it and buy another Bell 407. All three instructors stated that they had never seen the pilot's logbooks and had, therefore, never made any entries.

Pilot-Rated Passenger

The pilot-rated passenger held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and rotorcraft-helicopter. His first rating was for rotorcraft-helicopter, and it was issued in December 2004 following a checkride in a Bell 206B3. He was issued his airplane single-engine land rating in December 2014, and, at that time, he reported on his rating application a total rotorcraft flight time of 179.6 hours, including 163 solo hours.

He held a third-class medical certificate issued on May 29, 2014 with no limitations.

No personal flight records for the pilot-rated passenger were located, and his currency or recent flight experience could not be determined. At the times of issuance of his two prior FAA medical examinations in 2008 and 2012, he reported total flight times of 185 and 200 hours respectively, with no flight time in the preceding 6 months on both occasions.

HELICOPTER INFORMATION

The helicopter was manufactured in 2014 and equipped with a Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine. The helicopter had dual collective, cyclic, and foot pedal controls, with primary flight control intended from the right seat.

The helicopter was maintained under a continuous airworthiness program and had accrued 35.2 hours of total time since new when the accident occurred. The last inspection took place 20.6 flight hours before the accident on August 15, 2015.

The helicopter had undergone a series of twenty-three upgrades in May 2015, including the installation of an auxiliary side locker fuel tank, full length skid shoes, a radar altimeter, and a Genesys Aerosystems HeliSAS stability augmentation system and two-axis (pitch and roll) autopilot.

The HeliSAS system provided attitude stabilization and force feedback to the cyclic control, via electro-mechanical servo actuators connected in parallel to the flight controls. The systems technical overview documentation stated:

"The HeliSAS system is designed to be engaged at all times: "SAS" on before takeoff, and "SAS" off after landing. The "force feel" (force trim) feature enhances handling characteristics and mitigates inadvertent cyclic control inputs that could result in dangerous attitudes. The pilot may override the HeliSAS at any time with manual cyclic inputs. Only 3.5 lbs of pilot force in the pitch axis, and 3.0 lbs in the roll axis, at the cyclic control is required to override the system for pilot desired maneuvering when either the SAS or autopilot modes are engaged."

The helicopter was serviced with the addition of 70 gallons of Jet A fuel on the morning of the accident.



METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

According to the U.S. Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications Department, the altitude of the sun when viewed from Carlsbad at 1620 would have been 4.3°, with an azimuth (E of N) of 243.7°.

FLIGHT RECORDERS

The helicopter was equipped with an Appareo Vision 1000 flight data monitor. The unit was capable of recording video, audio, GPS coordinates, and pitch, roll, yaw and acceleration data. The unit was mounted in the aft center ceiling of the cockpit.

The unit was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Division for data extraction, and a video group consisting of the NTSB investigator-in-charge and technical representatives from Turbomeca and Airbus Helicopters was convened to review the data.

The unit had recorded video and audio data, along with GPS coordinates for the entire flight. The field of view included over-the-shoulder video images of the forward cockpit, which included both cyclic controls and the right-seat collective and foot pedal controls, along with most of the instrument panel and a view out the lower forward portion of the windscreen. The unit did not record any radio or microphone audio. Only loud engine and transmission noises could be heard for the duration of the recording.

The video recording began at 1406:52 and depicted the helicopter stationary on the dolly at the east end of the FBO's ramp, with the engine running and the pilot configuring the avionics system. Six minutes later, the helicopter departed.

GPS data indicated that for the next 27 minutes the helicopter flew generally to the east and approached an open field at an elevation of about 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl), 4.5 miles south of the peak of Palomar Mountain. The helicopter then performed a left downwind landing approach into the field, lined up on final from the south, and landed at the far end of the field just short of the tree line. Twenty seconds after landing, the pilot turned on the SAS system. The pilot then initiated a hover, and the helicopter lifted off the ground and immediately yawed about 25° to the left, before setting back onto the ground. Thirty seconds later, the pilot began another hovering maneuver, and, after lifting off the ground, the helicopter immediately spun about 150° to the right before setting back onto the ground.

About 40 seconds later, at 1443:09, the helicopter lifted off the ground up uneventfully, and departed toward the southeast. For the next hour, the helicopter took a route toward the Salton Sea, then north along the coastline toward La Quinta, where it turned inland and began to track back to Carlsbad. During the period after departing from the field, the pilot turned the SAS system from active to standby mode multiple times and occasionally engaged the autopilot. Helicopter control was handed back and forth between the two pilots as they performed various tasks including activating the auxiliary fuel tank transfer pump, viewing their personal electronic devices, and referencing the helicopter's flight manual.

About 1610, the helicopter approached the airport from the east, conducted a straight-in approach, and crossed the threshold of runway 24 at 1612:05. The SAS system was in standby mode, and, as the helicopter approached the runway, the passenger lifted his right hand over his face in an apparent effort to shield himself from sun glare. The pilot appeared to be wearing sunglasses. The helicopter flew along the runway and then turned left, crossed the runway 6-24 hold short line, and entered taxiway A3 while in a low hover. The helicopter proceeded along taxiway A, approaching the landing dolly, which, having been relocated, was now at the west end of the FBO's ramp.

The helicopter approached the dolly, but, due to sun glare, minimal outside references were visible in the recording. Over the next 30 seconds, the occupants appeared to have been jostled in their seats, the helicopter pitched nose down, and the cockpit instruments registered a right roll of about 25°. The helicopter then yawed to the right and began maneuvering toward taxiway A and the ramp. It landed straddling the ramp and taxiway, and the pilot then entered the ground control frequency in the avionics system. About that time, an incoming call was received on the pilot's phone; he picked up the phone, ignored the call, and put the phone back down again.

After about 2 minutes, the pilot initiated a hover, and, as soon as the helicopter broke ground, it immediately yawed about 30° to the left. The pilot maneuvered the helicopter west along taxiway A and performed a left turn, toward the east, bringing the helicopter in line with the dolly. During the following three landing attempts, the dolly passed in and out of view in the left side of the lower portion of the helicopter's chin bubble. The pilot's cyclic control inputs were pronounced as the dolly came in and out of view. On the second attempt, as the dolly disappeared from view, both occupants appeared to rock forward. The pilot then backed up the helicopter in a low hover, and the dolly came back into view.

With the dolly still visible, the helicopter again rocked back and forth and slowly descended, while both occupants again rocked forward. The needle displayed on the first limit indicator on the instrument panel dropped rapidly as the pilot quickly lowered the collective control. Comparison of the onboard video with the security camera video indicated that, about this time, the tailskid struck the ground, and the helicopter pitched up and rotated 180° before the tail again struck the ground. During this time, the pilot was still holding the cyclic and collective controls, and his feet were on the foot pedals. Both occupants then moved aggressively back and forth and from side to side, until the helicopter landed hard on its nose, and both occupants violently rocked to the right. The pilot slumped over to the right and remained motionless, and the helicopter began to spin.

As the spin progressed, the pilot-rated passenger reached down to the throttle control on the pilot's collective with his right hand. His hand remained on the control for about 3 seconds, but the control did not move out of the "FLIGHT" detent position. The passenger then moved his right hand to the glare shield lip where it remained for about the next 2 minutes. The passenger then appeared to loosen his grip on the glare shield, and he remained motionless, while the helicopter continued to spin. Eventually a loud "bang" was recorded, and the helicopter stopped violently and came to rest on its right side. Neither occupant moved as first responder personnel arrived and began the process of entering the cabin.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Pilot

At the time of his most recent FAA medical examination, the pilot reported hypertension and the use of medications including nebivolol (blood pressure medication), pantoprazole (heartburn medication), and rosuvastatin (cholesterol lowering medication).

According to the autopsy performed by the County of San Diego Office of the Medical Examiner, the pilot's cause of death was multiple injuries, and the manner of death was accident.

The autopsy report noted significant intracranial injuries with bilateral subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage more pronounced on the right side and the base of the brain extending into the foramen magnum and cervical canal. Intraventricular hemorrhage without parenchymal contusions was also noted. In addition, hemorrhage of the anterior cervical ligament associated with fractures of the body of C6 (and possibly C7) with associated subdural hemorrhage surrounding the cervical spinal cord was identified.

The pilot's heart was enlarged, and mild coronary artery disease with 50% stenosis was also described.

Toxicology testing by the medical examiner detected amlodipine (0.34 mg/l) and alprazolam (less than 0.05 mg/l) in peripheral blood.

Toxicology testing by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, identified amlodipine, valsartan, rosuvastatin, and diphenhydramine (0.538 ug/ml) in heart blood. In addition, the FAA laboratory found alpha-hydroxyalprazolam (0.044 ug/ml) and salicylate in urine.

Amlodipine and valsartan are blood pressure medications and, along with rosuvastatin, are generally considered non-impairing. Alpha-hydroxyalprazolam is a metabolite of alprazolam, a potentially impairing anxiety medication. Alprazolam is commonly marketed under the name Xanax, and it carries the warning: "Because of its CNS (central nervous system) depressant effects, patients receiving alprazolam tablets should be cautioned against engaging in hazardous occupations or activities requiring complete mental alertness such as operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle. For the same reason, patients should be cautioned about the simultaneous ingestion of alcohol and other CNS depressant drugs during treatment with alprazolam tablets." Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine that has been shown to significantly impair performance at routine doses.



Pilot-Rated Passenger

The pilot-rated passenger reported no chronic medical problems and no medications at the time of his most recent FAA medical examination.

According to the autopsy performed by the County of San Diego Office of the Medical Examiner, the pilot-rated passenger's cause of death was multiple injuries, and the manner of death was accident.

His injuries included bilateral subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages, ligamentous instability at C1/C2, and fracture at C6/C7 with associated subdural hemorrhage but without obvious spinal cord injury. In the torso, there was a fracture of the sternum along with multiple rib fractures, some associated with retroperitoneal hemorrhage. There were widely open fractures of both bones of the lower left leg. He was found to have an enlarged heart with thickened walls and minimal coronary artery disease.

Toxicology testing by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory identified ranitidine (a non-impairing heartburn medication) in the pilot-rated passenger's urine.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

Postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The throttle was found in the "FLIGHT" detent, and the left and right throttle controls could both be moved in concert with each other smoothly between the control detents.

Dolly

The primary structure of the dolly was composed of a 14-ft-wide and 12-ft-long red-painted steel frame, with two castering wheels at the front, and two fixed wheels at the rear. A steel, V-shaped hinged tow bar was attached to the front of the dolly. The landing deck surface was about 12 inches off the ground and made of wood planks coated with light-grey non-slip paint. No manufacturer's label or data plate could be found on the dolly. Standard operating procedures dictated that the helicopter approach the dolly from the rear and land with the tow bar at the front of the helicopter, thereby allowing clearance from the towing vehicle.

Examination revealed two indentations on the rear side of the dolly frame spaced 7 ft 3 inches apart or about the width separating the helicopter's left and right landing skids. The indentations contained freshly detached paint chips that exposed shiny uncorroded steel. Crush marks were present on the wood planks adjacent to the indentations.

Security camera video footage and statements provided by the FBO line crew indicated that, for the first landing approach, the dolly's rear right and front left wheels were chocked. In the video footage, a line crewmember could be seen checking the security of the chocks after initially setting both wheels. For the accident approach, the rear right and both front wheels were chocked. The chocks were standard triangular-shaped rubber aviation chock pairs that were attached to one another with a short length of rope.

The slope of the ramp at the dolly location for the final landing attempts was about 3° down from right to left when viewed from the approach direction. The helicopter's flight manual indicated a maximum sideways landing slope of 8°.

Seats

Both front seats were of the energy attenuating type designed to absorb vertical impact loads. The seats were equipped with four-point belt harnesses.

The front left seat did not exhibit evidence of vertical displacement (stroking). The left side of the front right seat did not exhibit evidence of stroking; the right side of the seat exhibited a vertical stroke of about 1 inch downward.



NTSB Identification: WPR16FA029
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 18, 2015 in Carlsbad, CA
Aircraft: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS AS350B3E, registration: N711BE
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

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 either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On November 18, 2015, about 1624 Pacific standard time, an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3E, N711BE, departed controlled flight while landing on a moveable helipad at Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad, California. The pilot, who was the owner, was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and private pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed Carlsbad at 1411. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The entire accident sequence was captured on airport security cameras and the mobile phone cameras of multiple witnesses.

The helicopter departed earlier in the day from the east end of the Premier Jet fixed base operator (FBO) ramp, which was located midfield on the south side of runway 6/24. After departure, line crew moved the helipad to the west end of the ramp.

Upon returning, the helicopter approached the airport from the northeast and was cleared to land on runway 24. It descended to midfield, turned left, and approached the ramp in a low hover via taxiway A3. The helicopter then followed taxiway A and began an approach to the helipad from the east and into the direction of the sun. The helicopter then landed short of the helipad, with the center of its skids making contact with the pad's front edge. The helicopter immediately rocked back and its tailskid struck the ground. The helicopter then began a series of back and forth oscillations, and the helipad broke free from the rear left chock, rotated to the right, and pivoted around its front right wheel. The helicopter spun with the helipad for the first quarter of the turn, and then rapidly climbed and rotated 270 degrees to the right. The helipad came to rest to the north, having revolved 180 degrees, and about 50 seconds later the helicopter landed on the tarmac east of the helipad, while partially straddling taxiway A and the ramp at a 45-degree angle.

For the next 2 1/2 minutes line crew re-secured the helipad, installing chocks on three of the four wheels. The helicopter then repositioned for an approach to the helipad from the west. During the next 4 1/2 minutes the helicopter made three landing attempts, getting to within 5 to 20 ft of the helipad. A video of the final landing attempt was captured by a witness, who was located about 130 ft south. He had observed the other landing attempts and was concerned that the helicopter may crash, so positioned himself behind a car at the corner of the FBO's hangar.

The video revealed that the helicopter again landed short of the pad, similar to the first landing attempt, rocking back and forth twice onto its tailskid. After the final strike, the helicopter pitched violently forward and out of view behind the hangar. Security cameras revealed that from here the helicopter spun 180 degrees to the left, and after reaching a 45-degree nose up attitude, the aft tailrotor and vertical stabilizer assembly struck the ground and separated. The helicopter bounced and rotated another 360 degrees before landing hard on its left side. Once on the ground, the main rotor blades and cabin continued to spin with the engine still running. The helicopter continued spinning for the next 5 minutes and 10 seconds while slowly sliding about 530 ft east along the ramp. The tailboom and horizontal stabilizer then separated and the helicopter rolled onto its side, shedding the main rotor blades. The engine continued operating for another 30 seconds while fire crew doused the helicopter. White smoke billowed from the engine's exhaust after the helicopter came to rest, but there was no indication of fire.

The pilot purchased the helicopter on October 29, 2015, but had flown demonstration and familiarization flights in it since September 20. According to the helicopter's maintenance records, those flights totaled about 8.8 hours, and were all conducted with a certified flight instructor present. He received an additional 2 hours of flight training on November 13.

According to friends and flight instructors who had flown with the pilot, he had previously owned a Bell 407, and the accident flight was the first he had flown in the AS350 series without a professional pilot present.
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf 

GUARANTY DEVELOPMENT CO
BRUCE ERICKSON PRESIDENT & CEO
http://registry.faa.gov/N711BE

NTSB Identification: WPR16FA029
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 18, 2015 in Carlsbad, CA
Aircraft: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS AS350B3E, registration: N711BE
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

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 either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.


On November 18, 2015, about 1624 Pacific standard time, an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3E, N711BE, departed controlled flight while landing on a moveable helipad at Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad, California. The pilot, who was the owner, was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and private pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed Carlsbad at 1411. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.


The entire accident sequence was captured on airport security cameras and the mobile phone cameras of multiple witnesses.


The helicopter departed earlier in the day from the east end of the Premier Jet fixed base operator (FBO) ramp, which was located midfield on the south side of runway 6/24. After departure, line crew moved the helipad to the west end of the ramp.


Upon returning, the helicopter approached the airport from the northeast and was cleared to land on runway 24. It descended to midfield, turned left, and approached the ramp in a low hover via taxiway A3. The helicopter then followed taxiway A and began an approach to the helipad from the east and into the direction of the sun. The helicopter then landed short of the helipad, with the center of its skids making contact with the pad's front edge. The helicopter immediately rocked back and its tailskid struck the ground. The helicopter then began a series of back and forth oscillations, and the helipad broke free from the rear left chock, rotated to the right, and pivoted around its front right wheel. The helicopter spun with the helipad for the first quarter of the turn, and then rapidly climbed and rotated 270 degrees to the right. The helipad came to rest to the north, having revolved 180 degrees, and about 50 seconds later the helicopter landed on the tarmac east of the helipad, while partially straddling taxiway A and the ramp at a 45-degree angle.


For the next 2 1/2 minutes line crew re-secured the helipad, installing chocks on three of the four wheels. The helicopter then repositioned for an approach to the helipad from the west. During the next 4 1/2 minutes the helicopter made three landing attempts, getting to within 5 to 20 ft of the helipad. A video of the final landing attempt was captured by a witness, who was located about 130 ft south. He had observed the other landing attempts and was concerned that the helicopter may crash, so positioned himself behind a car at the corner of the FBO's hangar.


The video revealed that the helico
pter again landed short of the pad, similar to the first landing attempt, rocking back and forth twice onto its tailskid. After the final strike, the helicopter pitched violently forward and out of view behind the hangar. Security cameras revealed that from here the helicopter spun 180 degrees to the left, and after reaching a 45-degree nose up attitude, the aft tailrotor and vertical stabilizer assembly struck the ground and separated. The helicopter bounced and rotated another 360 degrees before landing hard on its left side. Once on the ground, the main rotor blades and cabin continued to spin with the engine still running. The helicopter continued spinning for the next 5 minutes and 10 seconds while slowly sliding about 530 ft east along the ramp. The tailboom and horizontal stabilizer then separated and the helicopter rolled onto its side, shedding the main rotor blades. The engine continued operating for another 30 seconds while fire crew doused the helicopter. White smoke billowed from the engine's exhaust after the helicopter came to rest, but there was no indication of fire.

The pilot purchased the helicopter on October 29, 2015, but had flown demonstration and familiarization flights in it since September 20. According to the helicopter's maintenance records, those flights totaled about 8.8 hours, and were all conducted with a certified flight instructor present. He received an additional 2 hours of flight training on November 13.

According to friends and flight instructors who had flown with the pilot, he had previously owned a Bell 407, and the accident flight was the first he had flown in the AS350 series without a professional pilot present.


FAA Flight Standards District Office:  FAA San Diego FSDO-09

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov,  and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov

Wayne Lewis



Bruce Erickson






Team 10: 'They didn't chock my cart' pilot said moments before helicopter spun out of control

SAN DIEGO -- There is new information about what may have caused Wednesday's deadly chopper crash -- just moments before the helicopter spun out of control the pilot complained that something was wrong on the ground.

The pilot who was killed in a bizarre helicopter accident at Palomar Airport Wednesday complained to air traffic controllers that the cart he was trying to land on wasn’t secured.

"They didn’t chock my cart. It was like a skateboard out here,” said Bruce Erickson to air traffic controllers moments before his helicopter began spinning out of control.

Chocking involves jamming a wedge of wood or a metal angle-iron near the tires so the cart, which is used to roll helicopters into the hangar, doesn’t move during landings.

Erickson was trying to land his chopper on a cart outside Prestige Jet. Doing so is difficult, pilots say, because it’s a very small landing target. And if you don’t put the rotorcraft down on it just right the landing could end in disaster.

"It’s gonna come out from under you and slide around. You don’t want to land on it unless it is chocked,” said lifelong pilot Tom Ricotta.

Ricotta didn’t want to speculate on Wednesday’s crash, but he agreed with Team 10 sources who say a moving cart could trigger much bigger problems for the pilot. If the skid misses the cart the chopper’s rotors or tail could hit the ground.


Story, video and photo gallery:  http://www.10news.com

Bruce Erickson, American Bank’s chairman, is a licensed pilot with many years of experience. Bruce has over 25,000 hours of flight time after getting his first flight lesson at age 10. He is rated on single-engine, twin-engine, helicopter and several jet aircraft. 

Source: https://www.americanbankmontana.com

Bruce Allen Erickson, the CEO and president of Bozeman-based American Bank, died Wednesday in a helicopter crash. 

The crash occurred as Erickson, the pilot, was practicing landings, the Associated Press reported.

The San Diego County medical examiner's office said the helicopter's tail struck the ground during a landing Wednesday and it spun out of control at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif.  

The medical examiner identified the pilot as 65-year-old Erickson. Also killed was his friend, 60-year-old Wayne Frank Lewis of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif.

On Thursday afternoon, American Bank said in a statement that Erickson “had a heart of gold with boundless energy, and his devotion toward community banking was insurmountable.”

“He placed utmost importance on his employees and was very generous to all,” the statement said. “Bruce’s zest for life elevated all those who he came in contact with. He was passionate about giving, with a special concern for children and the local communities the bank serves.”

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the Erickson family, and all those affected by this tragedy.”

The bank “is on solid ground,” the statement concluded, “has a great team, and we will carry Bruce’s legacy into the future.”

American Bank has branches in Bozeman, Livingston, Big Sky, Whitefish and Big Timber.

Erickson had more than 25,000 hours of flight time and ratings to fly various types of airplanes and helicopters, according to the bank's website.

Source:  http://billingsgazette.com


PALOMAR AIRPORT (KUSI) - The pilot and a passenger killed in a fiery Bell 407 helicopter crash at McClellan-Palomar Airport were identified today. 

Bruce Allen Erickson, 65, of Rancho Santa Fe and his 60-year-old passenger, Wayne Frank Lewis of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, died as a result of a crash and fire that occurred as they were practicing landings at the general-aviation facility on Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the county Medical Examiner's Office.

The helicopter's tail hit the ground as it approached the landing pad and the body of the chopper then hit the ground, spun out and went up in flames, authorities said.

Emergency crews were still extinguishing the resulting fire a half-hour later, according to North County Dispatch.

5:17 p.m. - Two people died in a helicopter crash at McClellan-Palomar Airport Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the accident occurred around 4:30 p.m.

Emergency crews were still extinguishing the resulting fire a half-hour later, North County Dispatch reported.

The circumstances of the crash, which prompted a closure of the airport, were unclear, and the victims' identities were not immediately available.

5:10 p.m. - Two people have been killed in that helicopter crash at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, according to North County dispatch.

The airport is closed due to the accident.

4:45 p.m. - A helicopter crashed at McClellan-Palomar Airport Wednesday afternoon.

The incident happened at 2198 Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad, according to North County dispatch.

- Source:  http://www.kusi.com




CARLSBAD – Two men killed in a helicopter crash at McLellan-Palomar Airport Wednesday afternoon have been identified.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner reported Thursday that 65-year-old pilot Bruce Allen Erickson of Rancho Santa Fe and his 60-year-old passenger Wayne Frank Lewis of Cardiff-by-the-Sea died on the airport runway. 

According to the Medical Examiner, they were practicing landings at Palomar Airport when the tail of their helicopter hit the ground. The helicopter then “impacted” the ground and spun out of control on the runway and burst into flames.

Due to the fuel aboard, when Carlsbad police and fire crews arrived on scene, they first tried to put out the blaze before accessing the helicopter. Both Erickson and Lewis were pronounced dead at the scene. 

According to Bloomberg News, Erickson was the CEO of American Bank in Montana. Lewis was a realtor. According to a piece in the Robb Report, Erickson had been flying aircraft since he was 12 years old. 

Palomar Airport remained closed Thursday. The FAA and NTSB will investigate the crash.

- Source:   http://www.10news.com


 WARNING: Some may consider the video disturbing 
~


FAA recognizes Wayne Frank Lewis
Cardiff-based pilot sets positive example
September 18, 2013, 11:01 a.m. ET

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is recognizing Wayne Frank Lewis with inclusion in the prestigious FAA Airmen Certification Database.

The database, which appears on the agency's website at www.faa.gov, names Lewis and other certified pilots who have met or exceeded the high educational, licensing and medical standards established by the FAA.

Pilot certification standards have evolved over time in an attempt to reduce pilot errors that lead to fatal crashes. FAA standards, which are set in consultation with the aviation industry and the public, are among the highest in the world.

Transportation safety experts strongly recommend against flying with an uncertified pilot. FAA pilot certification can be the difference between a safe flight and one that ends in tragedy.

The FAA recently announced that is it increasing the qualification requirements for co-pilots who fly for U.S. passenger and cargo airlines. These requirements mandate additional minimum flight time and training, as well as aircraft specific training.

"Safety will be my overriding priority as Secretary, so I am especially pleased to mark my first week by announcing a rule that will help us maintain our unparalleled safety record," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a press release. "We owe it to the traveling public to have only the most qualified and best trained pilots."

According to the FAA, the new regulations stem in part from the crash of Colgan Air 3407 in February 2009. An investigation of the crash revealed that pilot Renslow, had failed three "check rides" (the flying equivalent of driver proficiency tests) and may not have had adequate training to respond to the emergency leading up to the crash.

The FAA offers a variety of pilots licenses and certificates, each with a different set of privileges. These levels include Student, Recreational, Sport, Private, Commercial And Airline Transport Pilot.

Pilots with a student pilot certification are not permitted to fly solo and are barred from carrying passengers. Sport pilot certificate holders can not carry more than one passenger and are permitted to only fly light-sport aircraft during the daytime.

The highest level of certification is the Airline Transport Pilot Certificate (ATP), which is required to fly a commercial airliner.

To obtain Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, pilots must possess a commercial pilot license, have more than 1500 hours of experience in aircraft and be at least 21 years old. However, pilots with an aviation degree can qualify for the certificate with just 1,000 hours.

Pilots obtaining an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate must also pass an exam covering air law, general aircraft knowledge, flight planning, meteorology, navigation, instrumentation and other important topics.

Pilots are required to pass a physical examination administered by a FAA-authorized medical examiner.

There are a number of medical conditions that the FAA considers disqualifying, such as Bipolar disease, cardiac valve replacement, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus requiring hypoglycemic medications, disturbance of consciousness without satisfactory explanation of cause, epilepsy, heart replacement, Myocardial infarction, permanent cardiac pacemaker, personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts, psychosis, substance abuse, substance dependence, transient loss of control of nervous system function(s) without satisfactory explanation of cause.

Pilots are required to report to the FAA's Security and Investigations Division any alcohol-related vehicle actions, such as an arrest, administrative action, driver license suspension.

The FAA has reason to be concerned in general about alcohol use by pilots. Recently, a 48 year-old American Eagle pilot was forced from the aircraft cockpit after airline employees smells alcohol on him. The pilot, Kolbjorn Jarle Kristiansen , subsequently failed a breathalyzer test and was arrested.

The Federal Aviation Administration's Airmen Certification Database contains the following listing:

UniqueID: A4601965
FirstName: Wayne Frank
LastName: Lewis
Street1: 2225 Newcastle Ave
Street2: 
City: Cardiff
State: CA
Zip: 92007-1917
Country: USA
Region: WP
MedClass: 3
MedDate: 052012
MedExpDate: 052014

- Source:  http://aviation-business-gazette.com



WARNING: Some may consider the video disturbing 


UPDATE: The county Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the two men killed in a helicopter crash at McClellan-Palomar Airport late Wednesday afternoon as 65-year-old pilot Bruce Allen Erickson of Rancho Santa Fe and 60- year-old passenger Wayne Frank Lewis of Cardiff-by-the-Sea. The helicopter crashed and caught fire as the pair were practicing landings.

Two people were killed after a helicopter spun out of control and crashed at McClellan–Palomar Airport Wednesday evening, according to authorities.

The Bell 407 helicopter appeared to be trying to land on a portable landing pad when it’s tail hit the ground, a witness told FOX 5. Then, the rotors lost control causing the helicopter to spin uncontrollably.

Carlsbad firefighters were called to 2198 Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad around 4:22 p.m. after several witnesses watched the helicopter caught fire after crashing near a hangar, Carlsbad police said.  Both people aboard the aircraft died in the crash, according to a NorCom Fire dispatcher.

The circumstances of the crash, which prompted a closure of the airport, were unclear.

Weather does seem to have played a factor in the crash, according to another helicopter pilot who was at the crash site.

“The National Transportation Safety Board is en route and will conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash. We are unable to release details as to the specific type of helicopter or the identities of the passengers at this time,” according to Alex Bell of the County of San Diego.

Carlsbad Fire Department was assisted by crews from Vista, San Marcos and Palomar Airport.

- Source:  http://fox5sandiego.com



CARLSBAD — Two people died aboard a helicopter that spun wildly out of control and crashed at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad Wednesday, authorities said.

The crash and a fire were reported about 4:20 p.m. Carlsbad fire Division Chief Mike Lopez said the pilot was trying to land at the time.

A witness said he saw the helicopter spinning and tilting on the ground, with the blades striking the pavement and sparking.

Marco Hernandez, who was checking his airplane with plans to fly to Torrance, said as he watched, two people inside the helicopter were trying to get out. Then, he said, the aircraft tipped over.

He said his view then was blocked by vehicles driven over to the helicopter. A cloud of smoke erupted from the helicopter.

County fire crews at the airport used foam to spray the aircraft, preventing spilled fuel and oil from burning, Lopez said. Carlsbad and Vista firefighters assisted.

The crash occurred near Premier Jet hangars.

Helicopter pilot Mark Simo was working in the Premier Jet building when he said people came in and told him and others to get out. He walked out and saw the helicopter spinning “out of control.”

He said it appeared that the tail rotor had hit the ground after landing, causing the helicopter to go out of control for what he said seemed to be at least five minutes.

He said he saw one man hanging partially out of the helicopter, still strapped into his seat. He appeared to be unconscious, Simo said.

Simo called it a high-performance helicopter and said he was not aware of seeing it at the airport before.

An employee at Civic Helicopters, which offers flight training, said none of their craft was involved in the crash.

Lopez said he could not confirm that the helicopter was privately owned, but he said it was not a public safety aircraft and was not used for flight training.

The airport was closed during the investigation by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.

The last fatal aircraft crash near the airport occurred in 2008 when a Beechcraft Bonanza airplane slammed into a hillside, killing the pilot.

Two people were killed after a helicopter landed, spun out of control and caught fire at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California, officials confirmed.

Video sent to NBC 7 shows the helicopter after it touches down on the runway at 4:20 p.m. As its blades continue rotating, the chopper spins round and round for more than a minute before the tail breaks off and smoke engulfs it.

According to witnesses, the helicopter continued spinning for another five minutes. When it stopped, both people onboard were dead, Carlsbad Fire officials said.

The airport, located at 2198 Palomar Airport Road, is closed until further notice. Witness Marlena Niemann posted a video of the scene to Twitter.

The man flying the chopper was a new pilot, according to a helicopter instructor who says he knew the victim.

The pilot was trying to land on a helicopter landing cart when the crash occurred, he said. The cart is used to help tow aircraft into hangars, but if pilots do not land on it correctly, the result can be catastrophic.

"Flying helicopters, what seemed odd is that the engine was still wide open it was traveling..so they didn't turn the throttle off. Why that happened is beyond me," said witness Mark Simo.

Carnell Chappelle, a recreational pilot, was planning to meet his wife and friends for an evening flight out of Palomar. He saw the emergency lights as he drove down the main road and pulled over to the scene.

He told NBC 7 weather would not have played a factor in the crash because winds are calm and skies are clear.

"I feel for the people that this has happened to and the fatalities," Chappelle said. "The flying community, every time we see this, our heart breaks because it's one of our family, one of our own that has perished in this."

The pilot also said because he could detect what smelled like fuel in the air, it indicates the helicopter probably did not run out of fuel.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate to determine the crash's cause at first light Thursday. That's also when they'll begin removing the aircraft. Fire officials say the cause appears to be landing-related.

The identities of the victims have not been released.

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com