WAIALAE FALLS, HI, USA
N6003S
AEROSPATIALE AS350D
THE ON-DEMAND AIR TAXI HELICOPTER WAS ON A LOCAL SIGHTSEEING FLT TO WAIALAE FALLS WITH SIX PAX ABOARD. ELEVATION OF THE FALLS WAS ABOUT 3000 FT. AFTER HOVERING AT LOW ALT NEAR THE FALLS, THE PLT BEGAN A PEDAL TURN & BEGAN FORWARD MOVEMENT FOR THE INITIAL CLIMB AWAY FROM THE FALLS. THE MAIN ROTOR RPM DECAYED & THE PLT TURNED BACK TOWARD THE UPPER FALLS, WHERE HE THOUGHT HE COULD LAND. HOWEVER, THE HELICOPTER SETTLED INTO A RAVINE, IMPACTED ROCKS & CAME TO REST. AN EXAM OF THE ENG FUEL CONTROL REVEALED THE MAXIMUM STOP WAS SET AT 93% VERSUS 99% AS SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER. ALSO, THE GOVERNOR BREAK WAS SET 400 RPM EARLY, THERE WAS NO SEAL ON THE METERING VALVE SLEEVE & THE SAFETY WIRE THRU THE GOVERNOR ADJUSTMENT HAD BEEN CUT & NOT REPLACED.
IMPROPER MAINTENANCE/ADJUSTMENT OF THE ENGINE FUEL CONTROL UNIT BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, WHICH RESULTED IN A SLIGHT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM, WHILE TURNING AND TAKING OFF FROM A HOVER WITH A RELATIVELY HEAVY GROSS WEIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AND ROUGH/UNEVEN (ROCKY) TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
