Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Merril Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Anchorage, Alaska 99513
Wednesday, June 11, 2014 11:40 AKD
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
On June 11, 2014, about 1140 Alaska daylight time, an Airbus/Eurocopter AS350 B3 helicopter, N356EV, sustained substantial damage as a result of a main rotor over-speed, followed by a ground resonance event during the engine start sequence at the Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The helicopter was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country ferry flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. Of the three people aboard, the first pilot, seated in the left seat, the second pilot, seated in the right seat, and a passenger, were not injured. The flight was en route to Gulkana Airport, Alaska, the flight's first planned fuel stop.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 13, the first pilot, a certificated flight instructor, reported that he had been hired to ferry the recently purchased helicopter to Georgetown, Texas. He added that he was providing AS350 B3 helicopter transition training to the second pilot, who was also the new owner of the helicopter. The first pilot reported that after having some difficulty starting the helicopter, he asked for assistance from a mechanic and another pilot. He said that while talking with another pilot on a cell phone about the correct starting procedure, the second pilot exited the helicopter, and a mechanic boarded the helicopter and sat down in the right seat. Once the helicopter was successfully started, the mechanic disembarked, and the second pilot again boarded the helicopter, and sat down in the right seat.
The first pilot noted that while the helicopter was operating at flight-idle, the yellow "TWT.GRIP" light was illuminated on the annunciator panel, and he instructed the second pilot to slowly advance the collective-mounted throttle twist grip to the open position until the light went out. He said that as the second pilot began to advance the throttle to the open position, the engine immediately went to a very high RPM, and the helicopter began to shake violently, and it subsequently rotated about 240 degrees to the left. He said he did an emergency engine shutdown, and then all the occupants exited the helicopter.
The helicopter's fuselage and main rotor drive system sustained substantial damage.
The helicopter was equipped with a Turbomeca Arriel 2B series engine, equipped with a single channel, Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) fuel control system. An NTSB postaccident inspection is pending.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/11/2014 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1140 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | Anchorage |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99513 |
| Event Date Year | 2014 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 611248N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1495040W |
| Event Location Airport | Merril Field |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | MRI |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 137 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1153 AKD |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PAMR |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 137 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | AKD |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 7500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 12 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.15 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 3 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | -- |
| NTSB Notification Source | ANC ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jun 18 2014 3:35PM |
| User who most recently changed record | stam |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N356EV |
| NTSB Number | ANC14LA041 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | AIRBUS/EUROCOPTER |
| Aircraft Model | AS 350 B3 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3649 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | -- |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | -- |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Can See Aviation LLC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Wilmington |
| Aircraft Owner State | DE |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19810 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Can See Aviation LLC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Wilmington |
| Operator State | DE |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 19810 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | MRI |
| Departure City | Anchorage |
| Departure State | AK |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1140 |
| Departure Time Zone | AKD |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | GKN |
| Destination City | Gulkana |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jun 18 2014 3:35PM |
| User who most recently changed record | stam |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |