Plane Crash Reports 2003

2003 Plane Crash Report Result

Title: HUGHES 269B, N16133, COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTH OF

Report Date: 04/26

Plane Crash Problem: On April 10, 2003, about 1730 Pacific daylight time, a Hughes 269B, N16133, collided with terrain about 1 mile south of the Auburn Municipal Airport (AUN), Auburn, California. Heli-Fun, Inc., operated the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The helicopter was destroyed. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were fatally injured. The local area instructional flight departed AUN about 1615. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. A witness, located about 3 miles northwest of the accident site, saw and heard the helicopter maneuvering over his farm, about 1700. He stated that the engine was running normally, it was just really loud, like it was powered up. He reported that the engine got quiet and the helicopter hovered, powered up again, and then "dropped" into a ravine area northwest of his location. As he was walking back towards his house he heard the helicopter again. He looked back and saw the helicopter had regained some altitude, and was headed back towards the airport. Another witness, located at the Pac-n-Save parking lot southwest of the accident site, stated that he saw the helicopter "really low." His first thoughts were that it was either an air show, or the police department searching for someone. He stated that the helicopter's main rotors were almost perpendicular to the ground. The helicopter looked like it was attempting to turn, but was descending. He further stated that the helicopter had forward momentum, but it appeared it wasn't getting any lift. The helicopter dropped below the tree line, and he didn't see it again. The next morning he saw an article about the accident in the newspaper. The accident site was located on a sandbar approximately 1 mile south of AUN, in Wise Canal. Wise Canal feeds into Rock Creek Lake Reservoir. The helicopter was submerged in approximately 4 feet of water. The surrounding area contained vegetation and terrain indicative of northern California; rolling hills, trees, and tall brush. The helicopter came to rest on an easterly heading. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) manages the water flow area. When the water flow into Rock Creek Lake and Wise canal was stopped, there were no identified points of contact observed on the surrounding rocks or sandbars. The helicopter was laying on its right side, not completely inverted, with the belly and landing gear skids exposed. The engine was inverted and was positioned towards the front end of the helicopter. The tail boom rotated 90 degrees from its original position. The main rotor blades were accounted for on scene. Two of the main rotor blades remained attached to the main rotor mast assembly. The third blade had separated from the assembly at the root. All three main rotor blades showed downward bending and trailing edge delamination the length of the blades. The tail boom remained attached to the frame; however there were two cuts observed. One was forward of the tail rotor blades and tail rotor gearbox. The second cut, which was almost the circumference of the tail boom, was aft of the beacon light. Both cuts were located on the left side of the tail boom. The tail rotor blades were intact. The helicopter was recovered by Plain Parts, Pleasant Grove, California, on April 11, 2003, and moved to their facilities for the airframe and engine inspection. The flight control tubes, bellcranks, pulleys, and cables were accounted for; however, they were all either displaced or fractured. The drive bands and pulley's were in place with no discrepancies noted. The transmission was manually rotated with no binding encountered. The fuel tank, located on the right side of the helicopter, was destroyed. The right landing gear skid tube was separated about midspan. The landing gear arm remained intact. The left landing gear skid tube was separated in three different places, and the landing gear arm remained intact. The center frame section of the fuselage, right aft cluster fitting, showed evidence of corrosion inside the tube. Mechanical continuity was established on the engine via manual rotation of the crankshaft. Compression was obtained in all cylinders in proper firing order. The cylinders were visually inspected with a bore scope; sand was noted in the number 2 cylinder intake valve. No other discrepancies were noted with the cylinders. The top and bottom spark plugs were removed. According to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug chart AV-27, the spark plugs showed coloration consistent with normal operation. The fuel injector nozzles, fuel injector air inlet, fuel filter screen, and oil suction screen were clear of debris. Rotational scoring was observed on the right side of the fan housing. No mechanical discrepancies were noted with the engine.

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