Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kane, Pennsylvania 16735
Wednesday, April 30, 1997 18:10 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
After a 30 minute flight to his destination, the pilot found the hospital helipad, which was about a 200 square foot area, with 40 foot high wires on the north side, and 35 to 50 feet high trees surrounding the rest of the area. A windsock indicated about 3 to 5 knots winds from the west/southwest. During the approach from the southwest, the pilot descended vertically to the helipad. The pilot attempted to stop the rate of descent with the airspeed below 10 knots. The helicopter shuttered with the application of additional power. The helicopter yawed right, and 'the additional collective pitch seemed to have no effect on slowing the rate of descent, the rate of descent seemed to increase at this point.' The pilot determined that he did not have sufficient space to fly out of the area and at impact, all remaining collective pitch had been applied. No master caution or annunciator panel lights were noticed, nor was any audio tones heard. A helicopter aerodynamics manual described conditions conducive to settling with power, which included a vertical or near vertical descent of at least 300 feet per minute, engine power between 20 and 100 percent, during downwind steep approaches.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's decision to perform a low airspeed vertical descent with a tailwind, which resulted in settling with power.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/30/1997 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1810 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | KANE |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 16735 |
| Event Date Year | 1997 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Unknown |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 2050 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1753 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 235 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BFD |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2143 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 13 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -3 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 200 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 11 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 16 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 4 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1681 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 1 1997 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 12:13PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N122LF |
| NTSB Number | IAD97LA070 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Mbb |
| Aircraft Model | BK-117-A1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | BK-117-A1 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 7002 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 7072 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 21 1997 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 62 |
| Airframe Hours | 5570 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 100 NORTH ACADEMY AVENUE |
| Aircraft Owner City | DANVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 17822 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | KEYSTONE HELICOPTERS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1420 PHORNIXVILLE PIKE |
| Operator City | WEST CHESTER |
| Operator State | PA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 19380 |
| Operator Code | EGRA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | N96 |
| Departure City | BELLEFONT |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1727 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | NONE |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | Yes |
| Medical Flight | Discretionary |