During their first meeting in the new City Hall on Tuesday, the Cortez City Council voted to support a fee increase for the municipal airport.
Cortez Airport Manager Russ Machen wants to raise the passenger user fee, which is currently $4.50 per person, to at least $9. The move would require congressional approval, so the council voted to authorize Mayor Karen Sheek to sign letters to the state senators and congressman requesting an increase. The vote came during a busy night for the city council, during which they awarded several utility-related bids, heard public comment from numerous residents and announced the upcoming Four States Agricultural Exposition.
Machen said the airport fee is due for a raise, since it hasn’t been increased for 17 years.
“I think we’re all aware ... how much construction costs have gone up even in the last couple years,” he said. “Our ability to match federal grant money has not kept up with the times.”
He also said new regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration installed over the last few years have increased airport expenses all over the country, while federal grants have decreased. If Congress passed a bill allowing airports to double their user fees, the Cortez airport would increase its overall revenue by 18 percent and avoid having to dip into other parts of the city’s budget, Machen said.
The council voted unanimously to authorize Sheek to sign letters of support for the action and send them to Sen. Cory Gardner, Sen. Michael Bennett and Rep. Scott Tipton.
Earlier in the evening, Sheek signed a proclamation declaring the third week of March to be “Ag Expo Week.” Several members of the event’s organizing board attended the meeting and gave a short presentation. The 35th Ag Expo takes place this year at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds on March 16-18.
Also on the council’s agenda was the transfer of a land lease at the airport, allowing a city resident to sell a hangar for private aircraft to a new owner. The council also approved bids for fertilizer, a new refuse truck and an aerial fiber and underground splicing project that will form part of the Cortez Community Network expansion along County Road L. The council wrapped up their meeting by approving some minor amendments to an ordinance that regulates mobile food vendors and setting a public hearing for an amended ordinance that regulates possession of alcohol at the Cortez Municipal Golf Course. That hearing is scheduled for March 28.
Original article can be found here: https://the-journal.com
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Pensacola flight school, American Airlines target area pilots
An American Airlines regional jet service is recruiting former military helicopter pilots to fly its commercial planes and teaming with a Pensacola flight school to provide the training.
Dayton, Ohio-based PSA Airlines and Pensacola's SkyWarrior Inc. celebrated the agreement in an announcement at Pensacola International Airport early Wednesday.
Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward joined PSA executives for a brief ride, taxiing along the airport tarmac in one of PSA's CJR 200 jets.
"This is a total win for our former military pilots and for our city," Hayward said after congratulating the owners of the family owned flight school, which is at the airport.
The airline will pay as much as $23,000 to help each of the 15 helicopter pilots the school hopes to train every month, said Greg Sigler, vice president of SkyWarrior Inc.
"The goal is to get them to where they can legally fly for the airlines. We will instruct them to the point where they can then enter the airline's first-officer program," he said.
Among the first group of students to go through the program is retired Marine Maj. John Marshall, who flew heavy transport helicopters in the military. Marshall, who left the Marines earlier this month, said the program is an opportunity for him to continuing flying while learning something new.
"The good thing for those of us who learned to fly through the Navy and Marines is that we actually learned to fly fixed-wing aircraft first," said Marshall, who earned his flight wings at Whiting Field Naval Air Station in Milton in 1999.
The SkyWarrior training was a refresher course in the skills he learned back in primary flight school, he said.
Nicklas Fortin, an Army National Guard medivac helicopter pilot who deployed to Iraq twice, also hopes to fly for PSA.
Fortin said he wouldn't have had the $23,000 to invest in the fixed-wing flight training.
"It's an opportunity for a career change and a good thing for my family," he said.
PSA Airlines, which flies under the American Airlines name, made the investment in the Pensacola school because of the area's large pool of former military pilots, said Brooks Butler, chief pilot and pilot recruiter for PSA.
Commercial airlines are battling a pilot shortage with experienced pilots retiring and flight-time qualifications for new pilots getting tougher, he said.
"Our decision to come to Pensacola was very strategic. Through all of our research, we know that military pilots are well-trained, disciplined and have the skills we need," he said.
Pilots who complete the Pensacola program will go on to the airline's training at its Dayton headquarters.
According to PSA's website, the 2,500-employee airline has 150 jets and has flight crews based in Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio, Knoxville, Tennessee and Charlotte, North Carolina. The airlines' fleet includes Bombardier CJR 200, 700 and 900 jets.
For more information about the training program and SkyWarrior, visit www.psaairlines.com and www.skywarriorinc.com.
Source: http://www.pnj.com
Hayward Executive Airport (KHWD) expands operations as Bay Area business travel booms
HAYWARD — The Hayward Executive Airport on Tuesday celebrated an expansion project that will help it accommodate the increasing demand for air travel to and from the Bay Area.
The expansion comes in the form of a new operation from APP Jet Center, an aviation company that manages airport real estate and offers support services like fueling, hangaring and parking for jet and airplane owners and operators.
The expansion project APP Jet Center completed at the Hayward airport included the construction of a new 20,000-square-foot hangar that has increased APP’s capacity from about 64,000 square feet to 86,000 square feet of hangar space at the airport, a new 3,000 square-foot passenger terminal with seating, showers, “snooze rooms” and meeting space, and an open ramp for aircraft to access without congestion.
They are important qualities for clients that often pay thousands of dollars to fly on private charter planes or for companies and individuals who own their jets, said Thom Harrow, CEO of APP Properties, Inc., which owns APP Jet Center.
APP Jet Center has been at the Hayward airport for approximately 10 years in a different facility, but a growing client base and competition from new airport operators prompted it to invest in an expansion, Harrow said. It will shift its aircraft operations to the new hangar and facility, while its other Hayward Airport operation will house mostly offices.
Its client base includes a “significant” number of companies and individuals in Silicon Valley and other parts of the Bay Area who own planes, as well as charter jet services and aviation operators coming into the Bay Area from Europe, Asia and other places, Harrow said.
As business has boomed in the Bay Area, prompting an increase in both business and leisure travel, commercial airports, such as Oakland International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport, and smaller airports like Hayward Executive Airport and Concord’s Buchanan Field Airport that serve private planes, have flourished.
“We’re seeing a boom in business travel,” said Doug McNeeley, manager of the Hayward airport, adding that the smaller hangars at the airport have a waitlist of about 70 people.
The APP Jet Center facility joins another new operation at the airport, a hangar and base from aviation company Meridian, which opened in December.
In addition to individuals, charter companies and corporate jets, the airport also serves police, humanitarian and media air travel. Its location in the East Bay close to the San Mateo bridge makes for easy access to Silicon Valley and San Francisco, McNeeley said.
The new expansion from APP Jet Center means more fuel will be sold, resulting in more money for the city of Hayward, which gets 5 cents per gallon or 3 percent of gross fuel sales from airport operations. APP Jet Center sells more than 1.3 million gallons of fuel per year, Harrow said.
“The Hayward airport is such an asset to our community,” said Hayward City Manager Kelly McAdoo. “We’re lucky to have it and lucky to have great tenants who invest in it. … Hayward, as a result, will continue to prioritize it.”
Story and photo gallery: http://www.eastbaytimes.com
Cessna U206G Stationair, Far Reach Aviation LLC, N206JC: Accident occurred July 31, 2016 in Sleetmute, Alaska
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Anchorage, Alaska
Far Reach Aviation LLC: http://registry.faa.govN206JC
NTSB Identification: ANC16CA053
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 31, 2016 in Sleetmute, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/13/2017
Aircraft: CESSNA U206G, registration: N206JC
Injuries: 5 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot stated that he was attempting a takeoff from an unimproved, wet airstrip with four passengers on board when the tricycle-geared airplane began to hydroplane, followed by a ground loop, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s left wing and tail.
A passenger stated that, after taxiing to the end of the runway and turning around, the pilot began the takeoff roll. After becoming airborne, the airplane immediately turned right, then left, then impacted the trees on the left side of the runway. Following the initial impact, the airplane began to travel backward through the trees.
Photographs of the airplane taken immediately following the accident by the passenger show the flaps in the retracted position, the right main landing gear box protruding through the floorboard of the airplane, and substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage, just aft of the rear window.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb after taking off from a wet runway and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
The pilot stated that he was attempting a takeoff from an unimproved, wet airstrip with four passengers on board, when the tricycle-geared airplane began to hydroplane, leading to a ground loop that resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and tail of the airplane.
A passenger from the flight stated that after taxiing to the end of the runway and turning around, the pilot began the takeoff roll. After becoming airborne, the airplane immediately turned right, then left, then impacted the trees on the left side of the runway. Following the initial impact, the airplane began to travel backwards through the trees.
Photographs of the airplane taken immediately following the accident by the passenger show the flaps in the retracted position, the right main landing gear box protruding through the floorboard of the airplane and substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage, just aft of the rear window.
NTSB Identification: ANC16CA053
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 31, 2016 in Sleetmute, AK
Aircraft: CESSNA U206G, registration: N206JC
Injuries: 5 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot stated that he was attempting a takeoff from an unimproved, wet airstrip with four passengers on board, when the tricycle-geared airplane began to hydroplane, leading to a ground loop that resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and tail of the airplane.
A passenger from the flight stated that after taxiing to the end of the runway and turning around, the pilot began the takeoff roll. After becoming airborne, the airplane immediately turned right, then left, then impacted the trees on the left side of the runway. Following the initial impact, the airplane began to travel backwards through the trees.
Photographs of the airplane taken immediately following the accident by the passenger show the flaps in the retracted position, the right main landing gear box protruding through the floorboard of the airplane and substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage, just aft of the rear window.
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Far Reach Aviation LLC: http://registry.faa.govN206JC
NTSB Identification: ANC16CA053
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 31, 2016 in Sleetmute, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/13/2017
Aircraft: CESSNA U206G, registration: N206JC
Injuries: 5 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot stated that he was attempting a takeoff from an unimproved, wet airstrip with four passengers on board when the tricycle-geared airplane began to hydroplane, followed by a ground loop, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s left wing and tail.
A passenger stated that, after taxiing to the end of the runway and turning around, the pilot began the takeoff roll. After becoming airborne, the airplane immediately turned right, then left, then impacted the trees on the left side of the runway. Following the initial impact, the airplane began to travel backward through the trees.
Photographs of the airplane taken immediately following the accident by the passenger show the flaps in the retracted position, the right main landing gear box protruding through the floorboard of the airplane, and substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage, just aft of the rear window.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb after taking off from a wet runway and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
The pilot stated that he was attempting a takeoff from an unimproved, wet airstrip with four passengers on board, when the tricycle-geared airplane began to hydroplane, leading to a ground loop that resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and tail of the airplane.
A passenger from the flight stated that after taxiing to the end of the runway and turning around, the pilot began the takeoff roll. After becoming airborne, the airplane immediately turned right, then left, then impacted the trees on the left side of the runway. Following the initial impact, the airplane began to travel backwards through the trees.
Photographs of the airplane taken immediately following the accident by the passenger show the flaps in the retracted position, the right main landing gear box protruding through the floorboard of the airplane and substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage, just aft of the rear window.
NTSB Identification: ANC16CA053
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 31, 2016 in Sleetmute, AK
Aircraft: CESSNA U206G, registration: N206JC
Injuries: 5 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot stated that he was attempting a takeoff from an unimproved, wet airstrip with four passengers on board, when the tricycle-geared airplane began to hydroplane, leading to a ground loop that resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and tail of the airplane.
A passenger from the flight stated that after taxiing to the end of the runway and turning around, the pilot began the takeoff roll. After becoming airborne, the airplane immediately turned right, then left, then impacted the trees on the left side of the runway. Following the initial impact, the airplane began to travel backwards through the trees.
Photographs of the airplane taken immediately following the accident by the passenger show the flaps in the retracted position, the right main landing gear box protruding through the floorboard of the airplane and substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage, just aft of the rear window.
Cessna 182P Skylane, N5990J: Incident occurred March 14, 2017 at Ernest A. Love Field Airport (KPRC), Prescott, Yavapai County, Arizona
http://registry.faa.gov/N5990J
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale
Aircraft on taxi, wing struck a fence.
Date: 14-MAR-17
Time: 03:30:00Z
Regis#: N5990J
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: C182
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
City: PRESCOTT
State: ARIZONA
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale
Aircraft on taxi, wing struck a fence.
Date: 14-MAR-17
Time: 03:30:00Z
Regis#: N5990J
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: C182
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
City: PRESCOTT
State: ARIZONA
Erickson S64F, Erickson Inc., N171AC: Incident occurred March 14, 2017 at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (KIWA), Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona
Erickson Inc: http://registry.faa.gov/N171AC
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale
Rotorcraft, on taxi, nose gear collapsed.
Date: 14-MAR-17
Time: 15:00:00Z
Regis#: N171AC
Aircraft Make: ERICKSON
Aircraft Model: S-64F
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
City: MESA
State: ARIZONA
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale
Rotorcraft, on taxi, nose gear collapsed.
Date: 14-MAR-17
Time: 15:00:00Z
Regis#: N171AC
Aircraft Make: ERICKSON
Aircraft Model: S-64F
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: TAXI (TXI)
City: MESA
State: ARIZONA
Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1, N86RL LLC, N86RL: Incident occurred March 14, 2017 in Aurora, Marion County, Oregon
N86RL LLC: http://registry.faa.gov/N86RL
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Spokane, Washington
Aircraft while inflight, gear door detached from assembly. Landed without incident.
Date: 14-MAR-17
Time: 19:45:00Z
Regis#: N86RL
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: C525
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
City: AURORA
State: OREGON
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Spokane, Washington
Aircraft while inflight, gear door detached from assembly. Landed without incident.
Date: 14-MAR-17
Time: 19:45:00Z
Regis#: N86RL
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: C525
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
City: AURORA
State: OREGON
Beechcraft 400A Beechjet, N399RA: Incident occurred March 09, 2017 at Portland-Hillsboro Airport (KHIO), Hillsboro, Washington County, Oregon
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Spokane, Washington
Aircraft while in boarding area, number 2 engine caught fire. No injuries. Damage minor.
Date: 09-MAR-17
Time: 15:00:00Z
Regis#: N399RA
Aircraft Make: BEECH
Aircraft Model: 400A
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: MINOR
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: STANDING (STD)
Operation: 91
City: HILLSBORO
State: OREGON
External Load Event (Rotorcraft): McDonnell Douglas 369FF, N530KD; fatal accident occurred March 14, 2017 in Chalmers, White County, Indiana and Accident occurred September 30, 2012 in Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Indianapolis, Indiana
Rolls Royce; Indianapolis, Indiana
Rogers Helicopters, Inc.; Fresno, California
MD Helicopters; Mesa, Arizona
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Location: Chalmers, IN
Accident Number: CEN17FA127
Date & Time: 03/14/2017, 1546 EDT
Registration: N530KD
Aircraft: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO 369FF
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: External load event (Rotorcraft)
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
On March 14, 2017, at 1546 eastern daylight time, an MD Helicopters 369FF, N530KD, impacted terrain during a power line construction flight near Chalmers, Indiana. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to a private individual and operated by Rogers Helicopters, Inc., under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 as an external load operation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The helicopter departed from a staging area near the accident site about 1530 for the local flight.
The purpose of the flight was to thread a braided metal sock line through the center of a tower structure and pull the sock line to the next tower. The helicopter was equipped with a side pull hook assembly that attached the cargo hook to the left cabin step position on the helicopter. A 50-ft blue nylon long line with a protective sheath was attached to the cargo hook, and a grappling hook was attached to the other end of the long line. The grappling hook was connected to a large metal needle that enabled the pilot to thread the sock line through the tower structure. The needle was equipped with two hooks that were used to attach it to the tower structure. To thread the sock line, the pilot hooked the needle to the tower, released the grappling hook, moved the long line to the opposite side of the tower, and picked up the needle with the grappling hook.
The tension on the sock line was controlled by a triple drum puller located about 2 miles (and 10 towers) north. Each of the three drums contained sock line for one of the three phases of the tower as seen in figure 1. The puller featured a manual brake that was operated by a power line construction employee. The employee and the pilot communicated via radio as the pilot would announce his operational intentions. The employee stated that the pilot had threaded the sock line through nine towers. The pilot announced over the radio that he was slowing and approaching the tenth tower. The employee later heard yelling over the radio and then silence. The amount of brake applied on the sock line at the time of the accident was not determined.
A witness provided a 3-minute cell phone video of the events leading to the accident and the entire accident sequence. The video revealed that the pilot was attempting to attach the needle's forward hook to the tower structure (figure 1) when the accident occurred.
Review of the video showed that the pilot attempted twice to hook the needle to the tower and was unsuccessful each time. Before the third attempt, the helicopter wobbled several times. On the third attempt, the helicopter flew backward until the needle impacted the tower. The helicopter continued a backward motion, pitched up, then descended with the tailboom pointed at the ground (figure 2). The needle's aft loop, which the grappling hook was attached to, separated from the needle and was thrown to the south. While still airborne, the helicopter made a descending 180° clockwise rotation, as viewed from above, with the long line still attached. The rotation stopped as the helicopter faced north then rolled left about 80°. The long line became entangled with the main rotor blades, and then the blades impacted the top of the cabin and the tailboom. The tailboom separated about mid span, and both the tailboom and the rest of the helicopter descended and impacted the ground. There was no evidence of a post-crash fire.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial
Age: 53, Male
Airplane Rating(s): None
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Helicopter
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): Helicopter
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Helicopter
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 05/05/2016
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: (Estimated) , 14975 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 12.8 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 8.4 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
The pilot's personal logbooks were not found during the investigation. A review of the pilot's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate application indicated that, as of October 12, 2016, the pilot had accumulated 14,975 hours of flight experience, all of which were in rotorcraft. The company duty log sheets revealed that the pilot flew 336.7 hours in 2016 and 12.8 hours in 2017.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO
Registration: N530KD
Model/Series: 369FF FF
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Year of Manufacture: 1987
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate:Normal
Serial Number: 0044FF
Landing Gear Type: Skid;
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 02/28/2017, Continuous Airworthiness
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3100 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Turbo Shaft
Airframe Total Time: 6336.8 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Rolls Royce
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: M250-C30M
Registered Owner: ROGERS ROBIN M
Rated Power: 650 hp
Operator: Rogers Helicopters, Inc.
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Rotorcraft External Load (133)
Side Pull Hook Assembly
The helicopter was equipped with a Colorado Helicopters, Inc., Side Pull Hook Assembly (figure 3) per supplemental type certificate (STC) SH5230NM. According to the STC holder, the purpose of the assembly is to quickly rig a helicopter for pulling a sock line on power line construction projects. The assembly featured mechanical and electric cargo hook release mechanisms. The system is certified for a maximum side pull load of 1,900 lbs., which is safeguarded by a breakaway swivel; the two-piece breakaway swivel is held together with a calibrated shear pin. The STC holder noted that if the airframe is about to be overloaded, the shear pin is designed to break and allow for the long line to fall away from the helicopter; no unusual attitudes will result, and the helicopter should easily come to a hover.
Needle
The frame of the needle was made of steel tubing; the forward and aft sections of the needle were connected in the middle by a hinge bracket. Each section of the needle featured a closed loop with a straight open hook extending aft; the straight hooks (see figure 4) allowed the pilot to temporarily attach the needle to a horizontal cross-member of the tower and then reposition the helicopter. The aft end of the needle was connected to the metal sock line via metal carabiners and a non-breakaway swivel. The weight of the needle was about 200 lbs. Figure 4 shows the multicolored needle connected to the long line via the grappling hook. The photo depicted in figure 4 was captured a few minutes before the accident and is indicative of the exact configuration during the accident sequence.
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMCX
Distance from Accident Site: 5 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1535 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 226°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility: 7 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 3500 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 12 knots / 19 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 350°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 30.25 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: -3°C / -9°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: Light - Snow
Departure Point: MONTICELLO, IN (MCX)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: MONTICELLO, IN (MCX)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: EDT
Type of Airspace: Class E
Evidence from the accident video and witness statements revealed that the weather conditions consisted of an overcast cloud layer, light and intermittent snow, and wind gusts of unknown speeds reported by witnesses.
One witness reported that he was sitting in his truck facing west at the intersection of the adjacent county roads. His windows were down, and he felt a gust of wind at the time of the accident.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.648611, -86.843333
The helicopter's fuselage came to rest on its left side (figure 5), the same side as the pilot's seat. The aft section of the tailboom came to rest about 5 ft to the north of the fuselage. The main rotor blades separated from the rotor hub and came to rest to the south of the fuselage. The tailboom exhibited blue transfer marks, and the long line sheath was entangled in the tail rotor assembly. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers separated from the end of the tailboom. The lower portion of the blue long line was entangled in the main rotor hub and extended over the right side of the fuselage and right skid toward the tailboom. The grappling hook remained attached to the long line and was partially embedded in the soil.
The long line was separated in tension overload near the top of the line, a few feet from the cargo hook. Figure 3 shows the top portion of the long line still attached to the helicopter before the accident and figure 6 shows the postaccident condition of the long line. The cargo hook was found open at the accident site. The breakaway swivel, its shear pin, the two carabiners that hooked to either side of the swivel, and the upper portion of the long line were not found during the investigation. The aft end of the needle remained connected to the sock line via a non-breakaway swivel. The needle's fractured aft loop was found about 50 yards south of the accident site. Except for the fracture after loop, the rest of the needle remained intact with ground impact damage.
A postaccident test confirmed mechanical and electrical continuity to the cargo hook. The mechanical switch on the cyclic was actuated, and the hook opened as expected. An electrical source was applied to the hook wiring, and the hook opened as expected.
The trim switch was fractured from the cyclic stick. The trim switch wires were exposed where they fractured from the trim switch, and electrical continuity was confirmed from the trim switch wires to the trim actuator motors and trim circuit breaker. Physical continuity between the wires was also confirmed, and no electrical shorts were found. A portion of the airframe electrical wiring was damaged due to ground impact and did not allow for a complete examination. Extensive examination and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the helicopter's trim system did not reveal any preimpact anomalies.
Multiple postaccident examinations of the wreckage conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators with technical assistance provided by representatives from the operator, the helicopter manufacturer, and the engine manufacturer did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical And Pathological Information
Central Indiana Forensic Associates, LLC, Fishers, Indiana, completed an autopsy on the pilot and determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, conducted toxicology testing, which revealed no drugs or other substances.
Tests And Research
Needle Testing
Portions of the damaged needle assembly were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination and testing; photos of the as-received portions are shown in figure 7.
The needle assembly contained closed loops at the center and the forward end. The top portion of each closed loop also contained an open hook portion that faced aft. A visual examination of the needle assembly revealed that the aft closed loop (the point of attachment of the grappling hook) fractured at two locations. The fractures were through the round solid bar portion and intersected a portion of the weld at the frame portion. A bench binocular microscope examination of the fracture faces revealed rough texture features on slant planes consistent with ductile-bending overstress separation, with no evidence of a preexisting crack, such as fatigue crack. The welds at the fracture face showed no evidence of defects such as porosity.
A metallurgical section was made through the loop portions in the areas indicated by arrows 1 and 2 in figure 7 to obtain a 0.3-inch-thick disc portion from the 1-inch diameter solid round bar. Rockwell hardness (HRB) testing of the flat cut faces, perpendicular to the length of the solid round bar, produced average hardness values of 93 HRB, which converted to a tensile strength of about 94,000 lbs. per square inch. The load required to fracture the 1-inch solid round bar from the needle assembly was calculated by multiplying the approximate tensile strength by the cross-sectional area of the solid round bar. The load required to fracture the 1-inch solid round bar under constant tensile load was calculated to be 73,790 lbs., which is nearly 40 times greater than the load required to break the side hook's breakaway swivel shear pin.
Video Study
The video study estimated the orientation of the helicopter during the accident sequence and the orientation and magnitude of the force vector that the long line was applying on the helicopter before the helicopter became tethered to the tower. The maximum amount of force that the long line applied to the helicopter before the helicopter became tethered to the tower was 875 ±130 lbs. The helicopter orientation and the orientation of the long line force vector were documented graphically in the video study, which is available in the public docket for this accident.
The video study showed that shortly before the needle first contacted the tower, the helicopter moved backward, and the helicopter yaw angle was about 45° with respect to the tower. In normal operation before the accident, the needle was oriented vertically with the grappling hook attached near the top center of the needle. As the helicopter moved backward, the needle rotated/rolled about its longitudinal axis to a more horizontal orientation. The rotation moved the leading edge of the needle closer to the tower until it contacted the tower and became entangled in the tower's vertical lattice. The helicopter continued to move backward and pulled the needle's aft hook into contact with the tower, which tethered the helicopter to the tower via the long line.
The video study revealed that the long line remained attached to the helicopter after the needle impacted the tower. The side hook's breakaway swivel did not appear to separate before the long line became entangled in the helicopter's rotor blades.
NTSB Identification: CEN17FA127
14 CFR Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
Accident occurred Tuesday, March 14, 2017 in Chalmers, IN
Aircraft: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO 369FF, registration: N530KD
Injuries: 1 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 March 14, 2017, at 1546 eastern daylight time, an MD Helicopters 369FF helicopter, N530KD, impacted terrain during a power line construction flight. The pilot was fatally injured and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to Robin M Rogers and operated by Rogers Helicopters, Inc., under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 as an external load operation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan had been filed.
The purpose of the flight was to thread a sock line through the tower structure and pull the sock line to the next tower. The helicopter was equipped with a side pull hook assembly and a cargo hook. The cargo hook was attached to a 50-ft long line and grappling hook. The grappling hook was connected to a large metal needle which enabled the pilot to thread the sock line.
A witness provided a 3-minute cell phone video of the events leading to the accident and the accident sequence. A preliminary review of the video revealed that the pilot was attempting to initially thread the needle through the center of the tower structure when the accident occurred.
At 1535 the automated weather observation station located at White County Airport (MCX), Monticello, Indiana, about 5 miles northeast of the accident site, recorded: wind from 350° at 12 knots gusting to 19 knots, 7 statute miles visibility with light snow, broken clouds at 3,500 ft, overcast cloud layer at 4,800 ft, temperature 27°F, dew point 16°F, and altimeter setting 30.25 inches of mercury.
Three witnesses independently reported gusting wind at the time of the accident.
A long-time Hawaii Army National Guard helicopter pilot from Kapolei died in a helicopter crash in rural northern Indiana Tuesday while helping to install power lines for a private company.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Howard Esterbrook, 53, was supposed to return to Oahu today after spending weeks flying for a mainland company that was working in Brookston, in Indiana’s White County.
“He was coming home today,” said Esterbrook’s wife, Laura “Ohelo” Esterbrook. “I was going to pick him up at the airport.”
The White County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police received a call of a helicopter crash with injuries at 3:50 p.m. local time, according to Sgt. Kim Riley of the Indiana State Police.
Esterbrook’s helicopter was helping to install power lines on new steel light poles when it crashed for unknown reasons, Riley said. A ground crew removed Esterbrook from the wreckage and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
But Esterbrook was pronounced dead at the scene by the White County Coroner’s Office.
The National Transportation Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified, Riley said.
Esterbrook’s sister-in-law, former Miss Hawaii Luana Alapa, said her cousin lives in Indiana and reported that winds were blowing so hard the day of Esterbrook’s crash that cars were getting pushed off of the freeway.
“The winds in Indiana that day were unusually high,” Alapa said. “You would think he would get shot down in Afghanistan. But, no, it was the wind.”
Brad Hayes, executive director of Naval Air Museum Barbers Point, regularly flew with Esterbrook when they worked for Maui-based Pacific Helicopters that operated across the islands.
Whatever happened to Esterbrook in Indiana must have been unexpected, Hayes said.
Esterbrook had logged more than 20,000 hours flying helicopters and “had all the flying survival skills, all the tricks up his sleeve and a thinking man’s approach to all these jobs,” Hayes said. “Based on this guy’s skill level, it was something that wasn’t controllable or even foreseeable. It snuck up on him and he didn’t even see it. Whatever went wrong, went wrong quick.”
Esterbrook had served for 17 years in the Hawaii Army National Guard, left to fly civilian helicopters for utility and environmental jobs, then lost 150 pounds before re-enlisting in the Guard three years ago, his wife said. He was planning to be redeployed to the Middle East later this year, she said.
Esterbrook is survived by his wife, who runs a company called Ohelo’s Mango Chutneys; daughter Taylor Esterbrook of Waianae; and brother Michael Uchida of Kahala.
Esterbrook had requested that his ashes be scattered in the waters off of Diamond Head, Alapa said.
Services are pending.
Source: http://www.staradvertiser.com
An experienced pilot from Hawaii is dead, after his rotorcraft crashed in the Midwest.
53-year-old Howard Esterbrook of Kapolei was in Indiana to install power lines to new electrical towers when the helicopter he was flying crashed in northern Indiana Tuesday.
Its unknown at the time what exactly caused the rotorcraft to go down.
Family and friends said Esterbrook is a well-known pilot in Hawaii's aviation community with many years of flying experience.
He is also a Hawaii National Guardsman with 28 years of service, piloting Chinook helicopters. He served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and was about to start training for his third deployment.
Esterbrook also worked for Rogers Helicopter and Pacific Helicopter on Maui.
"We are all just stunned and heartbroken here. Howard was a meticulous pilot, he's had a lot of years of experience. He's been doing utility work since the early 90's," said Colleen Hauptman, President of Pacific Helicopter Tours.
His family said Esterbrook had a deep love for flying and for serving his county.
In a statement released by a family member it said:
"We are all pretty much in a trance, not really believing this happened. i am comforted to know how much Howard has made such an impact on his Hawaii national guard buddies, co workers, and many others."
Howard Esterbrook leaves behind his wife of 25-years, Laura Alapa-Esterbook and daughter Taylor.
Story and video: http://www.kitv.com
WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — A helicopter crash in White County that killed a pilot remains under investigation.
The helicopter crashed just before 4 p.m. and landed in a field near the intersection of county roads East 700 South and South 150 East in White County, southeast of Chalmers.
Sgt. Kim Riley with Indiana State Police said the pilot, identified as Howard Y. Esterbrook, 53, of Hawaii, was the only one in the helicopter at the time of the crash. Crews tried giving him CPR, but he died from his injuries.
Riley said the helicopter was part of a utility crew with EC Source, working to string power lines in the area. He said Esterbrook was subcontracted through the company.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were called in to assist with the investigation.
“We can find out the identification of the person that was flying the helicopter, in this case, and then we basically secure the situation until we can get the [NTSB] or the FAA here to start their own investigation and basically, we turn it over to them,” explained Riley.
It is unknown how long the investigation will take.
County Road East 700 South remained closed late Tuesday night.
Story and video: http://wlfi.com Additional Participating Entities: Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Des Moines, Iowa
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: CEN12LA667
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, September 30, 2012 in Decorah, IA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/13/2014
Aircraft: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO 369FF, registration: N530KD
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.
The pilot and passenger were repositioning the helicopter and stopped twice to refuel. Each time they stopped, the pilot filled the fuel tank. Following the second stop, the pilot flew the helicopter for just more than 1 hour for personal reasons. Before continuing on the repositioning flight, the pilot added 15 gallons of fuel. Because this was not enough fuel to top off the fuel tank, the pilot referenced the fuel gauge, which he said indicated 305 to 310 pounds of fuel on board. According to the pilot, the helicopter burned about 240 pounds of fuel per hour. The pilot and passenger then departed on the next leg of their flight with an estimated time en route of 1 hour. About 58 minutes after they departed, the fuel-low caution light illuminated, indicating the helicopter had 35 pounds of fuel remaining. The pilot continued the flight because he was within a few miles of the destination airport. However, about 3 minutes after the fuel-low caution light illuminated, the engine lost total power. The pilot made an autorotation to a mature corn field, and the helicopter bounced on touchdown and rolled over on its left side, which damaged the tail boom.
Examination of the helicopter revealed minimal fuel remained in the fuel sump and 1/4-cup of fuel remained in the fuel tank. Further examination revealed no mechanical deficiencies with the fuel system; however, when the fuel gauge and low-fuel caution light were tested they were found to not be calibrated correctly. The fuel gauge indicated a higher-than-actual fuel tank quantity, and the fuel-low caution light illuminated when only 19 pounds of fuel remained in the fuel tank, instead of 35 pounds, as designed. According to the operator, the fuel quantity sensor system, including the low fuel-low caution light, was inspected during a normal maintenance inspection about 7 months before the accident, and no discrepancies were noted. No subsequent maintenance had been performed on the fuel quantity sensor system.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to properly manage the helicopter's available fuel supply, which led to a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the improper calibration of the fuel gauge and the fuel-low warning light.
On September 30, 2012, at 0920 central daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas 369FF helicopter, N530KD, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a corn field near Decorah, Iowa. The airline transport rated pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Rogers Helicopters Incorporated, Fresno, California. A company visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Fort Dodge Regional Airport (FOD), Fort Dodge, Iowa, about 0820, and was destined for Decorah Municipal Airport (DEH), Decorah, Iowa. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the repositioning flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported that he picked up the helicopter and his passenger (an employee of the operator) on September 29, 2013, in Kearney, Nebraska, and planned to fly it to Green Bay, Wisconsin, for a power line construction job scheduled to begin on October 1, 2012. They departed Kearney, with full fuel (64 gallons/428 pounds total) and flew to Columbus, Nebraska (a 50-minute flight), where he topped off the fuel tank by adding 32 gallons of fuel. They then departed Columbus for Fort Dodge, Iowa (a 1:20 flight). In Fort Dodge, the passenger topped off the fuel tank with 48.95 gallons of fuel. That night, while the passenger stayed at a hotel, the pilot flew the helicopter to his ranch near Jefferson, Iowa, a total of 48 minutes. (The pilot said it was a 14 minute flight to his ranch and then he flew an additional 34 minutes before he landed and spent the night). The following morning, the day of the accident, the pilot flew back to Fort Dodge (a 14 minute flight) and picked up the passenger. The pilot added only 15 gallons of fuel in Fort Dodge. Since the pilot was unable to visually check the fuel quantity due to the design of the fuel system (a pilot can only verify a full tank if the tank is topped off), he referenced the fuel gauge, which indicated a total of 305-310 pounds of fuel.
The pilot and the passenger then departed for Decorah, Iowa. The pilot said the low fuel caution light illuminated about 58 minutes into the flight, which should have indicated there was at least 35 pounds of fuel remaining. The pilot elected to continue toward the airport since it was about 3 miles away. He said that about three minutes after the fuel-low warning light came on, the engine flamed out and he made an autorotation to a mature corn field. The helicopter bounced upon touch down and rolled over coming to rest on its left side.
Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed the tail boom had separated and the main rotor and tail rotor blades were damaged. The fuel tank was not damaged and there was no smell of fuel. Approximately two drops of fuel were drained from the fuel sump and about a quarter-cup of fuel from the fuel tank.
At the request of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge (IIC), the company that repaired the helicopter performed a more detailed examination of the fuel system and found no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the fuel system and engine. However, the fuel gauge and fuel-low caution light were not calibrated correctly. When 19 pounds of fuel were placed in the fuel tank, the fuel gauge indicated 2 bar widths above the red dot on the guage (red dot is the 35 pounds of fuel mark); and, when 35 pounds of fuel were placed in the tank, the gauge indicated between the red dot and 100 pounds. The fuel-low caution light, which should come on when 35 pounds of fuel are remaining in the tank, came on at 19 pounds.
According to the operator, the fuel-low caution light was inspected as part of a continuous airworthiness inspection on March 1, 2012. From the time this inspection was completed to the time of the accident, no other maintenance was performed on the fuel quantity sensor system.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Indianapolis, Indiana
Rolls Royce; Indianapolis, Indiana
Rogers Helicopters, Inc.; Fresno, California
MD Helicopters; Mesa, Arizona
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Location: Chalmers, IN
Accident Number: CEN17FA127
Date & Time: 03/14/2017, 1546 EDT
Registration: N530KD
Aircraft: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO 369FF
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: External load event (Rotorcraft)
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
On March 14, 2017, at 1546 eastern daylight time, an MD Helicopters 369FF, N530KD, impacted terrain during a power line construction flight near Chalmers, Indiana. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to a private individual and operated by Rogers Helicopters, Inc., under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 as an external load operation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The helicopter departed from a staging area near the accident site about 1530 for the local flight.
The purpose of the flight was to thread a braided metal sock line through the center of a tower structure and pull the sock line to the next tower. The helicopter was equipped with a side pull hook assembly that attached the cargo hook to the left cabin step position on the helicopter. A 50-ft blue nylon long line with a protective sheath was attached to the cargo hook, and a grappling hook was attached to the other end of the long line. The grappling hook was connected to a large metal needle that enabled the pilot to thread the sock line through the tower structure. The needle was equipped with two hooks that were used to attach it to the tower structure. To thread the sock line, the pilot hooked the needle to the tower, released the grappling hook, moved the long line to the opposite side of the tower, and picked up the needle with the grappling hook.
The tension on the sock line was controlled by a triple drum puller located about 2 miles (and 10 towers) north. Each of the three drums contained sock line for one of the three phases of the tower as seen in figure 1. The puller featured a manual brake that was operated by a power line construction employee. The employee and the pilot communicated via radio as the pilot would announce his operational intentions. The employee stated that the pilot had threaded the sock line through nine towers. The pilot announced over the radio that he was slowing and approaching the tenth tower. The employee later heard yelling over the radio and then silence. The amount of brake applied on the sock line at the time of the accident was not determined.
A witness provided a 3-minute cell phone video of the events leading to the accident and the entire accident sequence. The video revealed that the pilot was attempting to attach the needle's forward hook to the tower structure (figure 1) when the accident occurred.
Figure 1 – Image from Accident Video with Notations
Review of the video showed that the pilot attempted twice to hook the needle to the tower and was unsuccessful each time. Before the third attempt, the helicopter wobbled several times. On the third attempt, the helicopter flew backward until the needle impacted the tower. The helicopter continued a backward motion, pitched up, then descended with the tailboom pointed at the ground (figure 2). The needle's aft loop, which the grappling hook was attached to, separated from the needle and was thrown to the south. While still airborne, the helicopter made a descending 180° clockwise rotation, as viewed from above, with the long line still attached. The rotation stopped as the helicopter faced north then rolled left about 80°. The long line became entangled with the main rotor blades, and then the blades impacted the top of the cabin and the tailboom. The tailboom separated about mid span, and both the tailboom and the rest of the helicopter descended and impacted the ground. There was no evidence of a post-crash fire.
Figure 2 – Image from Accident Video with Notations
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial
Age: 53, Male
Airplane Rating(s): None
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Helicopter
Restraint Used: 4-point
Instrument Rating(s): Helicopter
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Helicopter
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 05/05/2016
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: (Estimated) , 14975 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 12.8 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 8.4 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
The pilot's personal logbooks were not found during the investigation. A review of the pilot's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate application indicated that, as of October 12, 2016, the pilot had accumulated 14,975 hours of flight experience, all of which were in rotorcraft. The company duty log sheets revealed that the pilot flew 336.7 hours in 2016 and 12.8 hours in 2017.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO
Registration: N530KD
Model/Series: 369FF FF
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Year of Manufacture: 1987
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate:Normal
Serial Number: 0044FF
Landing Gear Type: Skid;
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 02/28/2017, Continuous Airworthiness
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3100 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Turbo Shaft
Airframe Total Time: 6336.8 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Rolls Royce
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: M250-C30M
Registered Owner: ROGERS ROBIN M
Rated Power: 650 hp
Operator: Rogers Helicopters, Inc.
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Rotorcraft External Load (133)
Side Pull Hook Assembly
The helicopter was equipped with a Colorado Helicopters, Inc., Side Pull Hook Assembly (figure 3) per supplemental type certificate (STC) SH5230NM. According to the STC holder, the purpose of the assembly is to quickly rig a helicopter for pulling a sock line on power line construction projects. The assembly featured mechanical and electric cargo hook release mechanisms. The system is certified for a maximum side pull load of 1,900 lbs., which is safeguarded by a breakaway swivel; the two-piece breakaway swivel is held together with a calibrated shear pin. The STC holder noted that if the airframe is about to be overloaded, the shear pin is designed to break and allow for the long line to fall away from the helicopter; no unusual attitudes will result, and the helicopter should easily come to a hover.
Figure 3 – Side Pull Hook Assembly
Needle
The frame of the needle was made of steel tubing; the forward and aft sections of the needle were connected in the middle by a hinge bracket. Each section of the needle featured a closed loop with a straight open hook extending aft; the straight hooks (see figure 4) allowed the pilot to temporarily attach the needle to a horizontal cross-member of the tower and then reposition the helicopter. The aft end of the needle was connected to the metal sock line via metal carabiners and a non-breakaway swivel. The weight of the needle was about 200 lbs. Figure 4 shows the multicolored needle connected to the long line via the grappling hook. The photo depicted in figure 4 was captured a few minutes before the accident and is indicative of the exact configuration during the accident sequence.
Figure 4 – Needle with Notations
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMCX
Distance from Accident Site: 5 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1535 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 226°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility: 7 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 3500 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 12 knots / 19 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 350°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 30.25 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: -3°C / -9°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: Light - Snow
Departure Point: MONTICELLO, IN (MCX)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: MONTICELLO, IN (MCX)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: EDT
Type of Airspace: Class E
Evidence from the accident video and witness statements revealed that the weather conditions consisted of an overcast cloud layer, light and intermittent snow, and wind gusts of unknown speeds reported by witnesses.
One witness reported that he was sitting in his truck facing west at the intersection of the adjacent county roads. His windows were down, and he felt a gust of wind at the time of the accident.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.648611, -86.843333
The helicopter's fuselage came to rest on its left side (figure 5), the same side as the pilot's seat. The aft section of the tailboom came to rest about 5 ft to the north of the fuselage. The main rotor blades separated from the rotor hub and came to rest to the south of the fuselage. The tailboom exhibited blue transfer marks, and the long line sheath was entangled in the tail rotor assembly. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers separated from the end of the tailboom. The lower portion of the blue long line was entangled in the main rotor hub and extended over the right side of the fuselage and right skid toward the tailboom. The grappling hook remained attached to the long line and was partially embedded in the soil.
Figure 5 – Main Wreckage
The long line was separated in tension overload near the top of the line, a few feet from the cargo hook. Figure 3 shows the top portion of the long line still attached to the helicopter before the accident and figure 6 shows the postaccident condition of the long line. The cargo hook was found open at the accident site. The breakaway swivel, its shear pin, the two carabiners that hooked to either side of the swivel, and the upper portion of the long line were not found during the investigation. The aft end of the needle remained connected to the sock line via a non-breakaway swivel. The needle's fractured aft loop was found about 50 yards south of the accident site. Except for the fracture after loop, the rest of the needle remained intact with ground impact damage.
Figure 6 – Long line, Sheath, and Grappling Hook
A postaccident test confirmed mechanical and electrical continuity to the cargo hook. The mechanical switch on the cyclic was actuated, and the hook opened as expected. An electrical source was applied to the hook wiring, and the hook opened as expected.
The trim switch was fractured from the cyclic stick. The trim switch wires were exposed where they fractured from the trim switch, and electrical continuity was confirmed from the trim switch wires to the trim actuator motors and trim circuit breaker. Physical continuity between the wires was also confirmed, and no electrical shorts were found. A portion of the airframe electrical wiring was damaged due to ground impact and did not allow for a complete examination. Extensive examination and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the helicopter's trim system did not reveal any preimpact anomalies.
Multiple postaccident examinations of the wreckage conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators with technical assistance provided by representatives from the operator, the helicopter manufacturer, and the engine manufacturer did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical And Pathological Information
Central Indiana Forensic Associates, LLC, Fishers, Indiana, completed an autopsy on the pilot and determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, conducted toxicology testing, which revealed no drugs or other substances.
Tests And Research
Needle Testing
Portions of the damaged needle assembly were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination and testing; photos of the as-received portions are shown in figure 7.
Figure 7 – Needle Damage
A metallurgical section was made through the loop portions in the areas indicated by arrows 1 and 2 in figure 7 to obtain a 0.3-inch-thick disc portion from the 1-inch diameter solid round bar. Rockwell hardness (HRB) testing of the flat cut faces, perpendicular to the length of the solid round bar, produced average hardness values of 93 HRB, which converted to a tensile strength of about 94,000 lbs. per square inch. The load required to fracture the 1-inch solid round bar from the needle assembly was calculated by multiplying the approximate tensile strength by the cross-sectional area of the solid round bar. The load required to fracture the 1-inch solid round bar under constant tensile load was calculated to be 73,790 lbs., which is nearly 40 times greater than the load required to break the side hook's breakaway swivel shear pin.
Video Study
The video study estimated the orientation of the helicopter during the accident sequence and the orientation and magnitude of the force vector that the long line was applying on the helicopter before the helicopter became tethered to the tower. The maximum amount of force that the long line applied to the helicopter before the helicopter became tethered to the tower was 875 ±130 lbs. The helicopter orientation and the orientation of the long line force vector were documented graphically in the video study, which is available in the public docket for this accident.
The video study showed that shortly before the needle first contacted the tower, the helicopter moved backward, and the helicopter yaw angle was about 45° with respect to the tower. In normal operation before the accident, the needle was oriented vertically with the grappling hook attached near the top center of the needle. As the helicopter moved backward, the needle rotated/rolled about its longitudinal axis to a more horizontal orientation. The rotation moved the leading edge of the needle closer to the tower until it contacted the tower and became entangled in the tower's vertical lattice. The helicopter continued to move backward and pulled the needle's aft hook into contact with the tower, which tethered the helicopter to the tower via the long line.
The video study revealed that the long line remained attached to the helicopter after the needle impacted the tower. The side hook's breakaway swivel did not appear to separate before the long line became entangled in the helicopter's rotor blades.
NTSB Identification: CEN17FA127
14 CFR Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
Accident occurred Tuesday, March 14, 2017 in Chalmers, IN
Aircraft: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO 369FF, registration: N530KD
Injuries: 1 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 March 14, 2017, at 1546 eastern daylight time, an MD Helicopters 369FF helicopter, N530KD, impacted terrain during a power line construction flight. The pilot was fatally injured and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to Robin M Rogers and operated by Rogers Helicopters, Inc., under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 as an external load operation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan had been filed.
The purpose of the flight was to thread a sock line through the tower structure and pull the sock line to the next tower. The helicopter was equipped with a side pull hook assembly and a cargo hook. The cargo hook was attached to a 50-ft long line and grappling hook. The grappling hook was connected to a large metal needle which enabled the pilot to thread the sock line.
A witness provided a 3-minute cell phone video of the events leading to the accident and the accident sequence. A preliminary review of the video revealed that the pilot was attempting to initially thread the needle through the center of the tower structure when the accident occurred.
At 1535 the automated weather observation station located at White County Airport (MCX), Monticello, Indiana, about 5 miles northeast of the accident site, recorded: wind from 350° at 12 knots gusting to 19 knots, 7 statute miles visibility with light snow, broken clouds at 3,500 ft, overcast cloud layer at 4,800 ft, temperature 27°F, dew point 16°F, and altimeter setting 30.25 inches of mercury.
Three witnesses independently reported gusting wind at the time of the accident.
Howard Esterbrook
COURTESY 1ST BATTALION 171ST AVIATION REGIMENT
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Howard Esterbrook, 53, was supposed to return to Oahu today after spending weeks flying for a mainland company that was working in Brookston, in Indiana’s White County.
“He was coming home today,” said Esterbrook’s wife, Laura “Ohelo” Esterbrook. “I was going to pick him up at the airport.”
The White County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police received a call of a helicopter crash with injuries at 3:50 p.m. local time, according to Sgt. Kim Riley of the Indiana State Police.
Esterbrook’s helicopter was helping to install power lines on new steel light poles when it crashed for unknown reasons, Riley said. A ground crew removed Esterbrook from the wreckage and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
But Esterbrook was pronounced dead at the scene by the White County Coroner’s Office.
The National Transportation Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have been notified, Riley said.
Esterbrook’s sister-in-law, former Miss Hawaii Luana Alapa, said her cousin lives in Indiana and reported that winds were blowing so hard the day of Esterbrook’s crash that cars were getting pushed off of the freeway.
“The winds in Indiana that day were unusually high,” Alapa said. “You would think he would get shot down in Afghanistan. But, no, it was the wind.”
Brad Hayes, executive director of Naval Air Museum Barbers Point, regularly flew with Esterbrook when they worked for Maui-based Pacific Helicopters that operated across the islands.
Whatever happened to Esterbrook in Indiana must have been unexpected, Hayes said.
Esterbrook had logged more than 20,000 hours flying helicopters and “had all the flying survival skills, all the tricks up his sleeve and a thinking man’s approach to all these jobs,” Hayes said. “Based on this guy’s skill level, it was something that wasn’t controllable or even foreseeable. It snuck up on him and he didn’t even see it. Whatever went wrong, went wrong quick.”
Esterbrook had served for 17 years in the Hawaii Army National Guard, left to fly civilian helicopters for utility and environmental jobs, then lost 150 pounds before re-enlisting in the Guard three years ago, his wife said. He was planning to be redeployed to the Middle East later this year, she said.
Esterbrook is survived by his wife, who runs a company called Ohelo’s Mango Chutneys; daughter Taylor Esterbrook of Waianae; and brother Michael Uchida of Kahala.
Esterbrook had requested that his ashes be scattered in the waters off of Diamond Head, Alapa said.
Services are pending.
Source: http://www.staradvertiser.com
53-year-old Howard Esterbrook of Kapolei was in Indiana to install power lines to new electrical towers when the helicopter he was flying crashed in northern Indiana Tuesday.
Its unknown at the time what exactly caused the rotorcraft to go down.
Family and friends said Esterbrook is a well-known pilot in Hawaii's aviation community with many years of flying experience.
He is also a Hawaii National Guardsman with 28 years of service, piloting Chinook helicopters. He served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and was about to start training for his third deployment.
Esterbrook also worked for Rogers Helicopter and Pacific Helicopter on Maui.
"We are all just stunned and heartbroken here. Howard was a meticulous pilot, he's had a lot of years of experience. He's been doing utility work since the early 90's," said Colleen Hauptman, President of Pacific Helicopter Tours.
His family said Esterbrook had a deep love for flying and for serving his county.
In a statement released by a family member it said:
"We are all pretty much in a trance, not really believing this happened. i am comforted to know how much Howard has made such an impact on his Hawaii national guard buddies, co workers, and many others."
Howard Esterbrook leaves behind his wife of 25-years, Laura Alapa-Esterbook and daughter Taylor.
Story and video: http://www.kitv.com
WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — A helicopter crash in White County that killed a pilot remains under investigation.
The helicopter crashed just before 4 p.m. and landed in a field near the intersection of county roads East 700 South and South 150 East in White County, southeast of Chalmers.
Sgt. Kim Riley with Indiana State Police said the pilot, identified as Howard Y. Esterbrook, 53, of Hawaii, was the only one in the helicopter at the time of the crash. Crews tried giving him CPR, but he died from his injuries.
Riley said the helicopter was part of a utility crew with EC Source, working to string power lines in the area. He said Esterbrook was subcontracted through the company.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were called in to assist with the investigation.
“We can find out the identification of the person that was flying the helicopter, in this case, and then we basically secure the situation until we can get the [NTSB] or the FAA here to start their own investigation and basically, we turn it over to them,” explained Riley.
It is unknown how long the investigation will take.
County Road East 700 South remained closed late Tuesday night.
Story and video: http://wlfi.com Additional Participating Entities: Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Des Moines, Iowa
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: CEN12LA667
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, September 30, 2012 in Decorah, IA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/13/2014
Aircraft: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO 369FF, registration: N530KD
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.
The pilot and passenger were repositioning the helicopter and stopped twice to refuel. Each time they stopped, the pilot filled the fuel tank. Following the second stop, the pilot flew the helicopter for just more than 1 hour for personal reasons. Before continuing on the repositioning flight, the pilot added 15 gallons of fuel. Because this was not enough fuel to top off the fuel tank, the pilot referenced the fuel gauge, which he said indicated 305 to 310 pounds of fuel on board. According to the pilot, the helicopter burned about 240 pounds of fuel per hour. The pilot and passenger then departed on the next leg of their flight with an estimated time en route of 1 hour. About 58 minutes after they departed, the fuel-low caution light illuminated, indicating the helicopter had 35 pounds of fuel remaining. The pilot continued the flight because he was within a few miles of the destination airport. However, about 3 minutes after the fuel-low caution light illuminated, the engine lost total power. The pilot made an autorotation to a mature corn field, and the helicopter bounced on touchdown and rolled over on its left side, which damaged the tail boom.
Examination of the helicopter revealed minimal fuel remained in the fuel sump and 1/4-cup of fuel remained in the fuel tank. Further examination revealed no mechanical deficiencies with the fuel system; however, when the fuel gauge and low-fuel caution light were tested they were found to not be calibrated correctly. The fuel gauge indicated a higher-than-actual fuel tank quantity, and the fuel-low caution light illuminated when only 19 pounds of fuel remained in the fuel tank, instead of 35 pounds, as designed. According to the operator, the fuel quantity sensor system, including the low fuel-low caution light, was inspected during a normal maintenance inspection about 7 months before the accident, and no discrepancies were noted. No subsequent maintenance had been performed on the fuel quantity sensor system.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to properly manage the helicopter's available fuel supply, which led to a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the improper calibration of the fuel gauge and the fuel-low warning light.
On September 30, 2012, at 0920 central daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas 369FF helicopter, N530KD, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a corn field near Decorah, Iowa. The airline transport rated pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Rogers Helicopters Incorporated, Fresno, California. A company visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Fort Dodge Regional Airport (FOD), Fort Dodge, Iowa, about 0820, and was destined for Decorah Municipal Airport (DEH), Decorah, Iowa. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the repositioning flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported that he picked up the helicopter and his passenger (an employee of the operator) on September 29, 2013, in Kearney, Nebraska, and planned to fly it to Green Bay, Wisconsin, for a power line construction job scheduled to begin on October 1, 2012. They departed Kearney, with full fuel (64 gallons/428 pounds total) and flew to Columbus, Nebraska (a 50-minute flight), where he topped off the fuel tank by adding 32 gallons of fuel. They then departed Columbus for Fort Dodge, Iowa (a 1:20 flight). In Fort Dodge, the passenger topped off the fuel tank with 48.95 gallons of fuel. That night, while the passenger stayed at a hotel, the pilot flew the helicopter to his ranch near Jefferson, Iowa, a total of 48 minutes. (The pilot said it was a 14 minute flight to his ranch and then he flew an additional 34 minutes before he landed and spent the night). The following morning, the day of the accident, the pilot flew back to Fort Dodge (a 14 minute flight) and picked up the passenger. The pilot added only 15 gallons of fuel in Fort Dodge. Since the pilot was unable to visually check the fuel quantity due to the design of the fuel system (a pilot can only verify a full tank if the tank is topped off), he referenced the fuel gauge, which indicated a total of 305-310 pounds of fuel.
The pilot and the passenger then departed for Decorah, Iowa. The pilot said the low fuel caution light illuminated about 58 minutes into the flight, which should have indicated there was at least 35 pounds of fuel remaining. The pilot elected to continue toward the airport since it was about 3 miles away. He said that about three minutes after the fuel-low warning light came on, the engine flamed out and he made an autorotation to a mature corn field. The helicopter bounced upon touch down and rolled over coming to rest on its left side.
Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed the tail boom had separated and the main rotor and tail rotor blades were damaged. The fuel tank was not damaged and there was no smell of fuel. Approximately two drops of fuel were drained from the fuel sump and about a quarter-cup of fuel from the fuel tank.
At the request of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge (IIC), the company that repaired the helicopter performed a more detailed examination of the fuel system and found no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the fuel system and engine. However, the fuel gauge and fuel-low caution light were not calibrated correctly. When 19 pounds of fuel were placed in the fuel tank, the fuel gauge indicated 2 bar widths above the red dot on the guage (red dot is the 35 pounds of fuel mark); and, when 35 pounds of fuel were placed in the tank, the gauge indicated between the red dot and 100 pounds. The fuel-low caution light, which should come on when 35 pounds of fuel are remaining in the tank, came on at 19 pounds.
According to the operator, the fuel-low caution light was inspected as part of a continuous airworthiness inspection on March 1, 2012. From the time this inspection was completed to the time of the accident, no other maintenance was performed on the fuel quantity sensor system.
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