Eurocopter EC135P1 crash near Chicago, IL, United States

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 7, 2018, about 2123 central daylight time, a Eurocopter Deutschland GMBH EC135 P1 helicopter, N312SA, impacted terrain during an autorotation near Chicago, Illinois. The pilot, flight paramedic, and flight nurse sustained serious injuries, and the patient was not injured during the accident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, tailboom, and main rotor blades. The helicopter was registered to Bennett Aviation, LLC, Elmhurst, Illinois, and operated by Pentastar Aviation Charter under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 as an air ambulance flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and the flight was operated under a visual flight rules flight plan. The flight departed St. Mary Medical Center, Hobart, Indiana, at 2110, and was destined for Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois. Helicopter satellite tracking data and air traffic control information revealed the helicopter was traveling northwest from the St. Mary Medical Center on a direct route to Advocate Christ Medical Center about 1,000 ft above ground level (agl). About 5 miles southeast of Advocate Christ Medical Center, the helicopter turned to the right after the pilot requested to divert to the Gary International Airport (GYY), Gary, Indiana. About a minute later, the pilot declared a "mayday" and stated the helicopter was going down into a field. The helicopter came to rest upright in a grass area between the Interstate Highway 94 and Interstate Highway 57 interchange (see Figures 1, 2, and 3). Figure 1. Flight Track Map Figure 2. Main Wreckage Figure 3. Main Wreckage Surveillance video from a Chicago Transit Authority rail platform, located adjacent to the accident site, depicted the helicopter during the final phase of the autorotation and impact with terrain. The video showed a fire near the No. 2 (right) engine during the autorotation. A flame burst was observed after the impact with terrain. The pilot was able to recall portions of the flight and recounted them during interviews with National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators and also provided a written statement. On the evening of the accident, the pilot received a flight request, checked the weather, and performed a preflight inspection for the planned 12 to 13-minute flight. After departure, the pilot climbed to 1,700 ft mean sea level, or about 1,000 ft agl. About 5 miles west of GYY, he contacted Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Chicago, Illinois, requesting entry into the airspace, and noticed a "Twist Grip" warning on the left engine 1 side warning panel. The pilot noticed a second indication but could not recall the specific warning. He grabbed each engine throttle twist grip individually to gently verify if he could feel they were in or out of position, and he did not notice any significant changes to the throttle position. The pilot decided he did not have enough time to trouble shoot the emergency procedure before landing at the intended hospital destination, and he would not land at the hospital with a warning indication. He informed the medical crew they would divert to GYY and handed them the helicopter emergency checklist book to assist with locating the emergency checklist procedure(s). As the pilot executed the turn to GYY, he noticed the No. 2 engine indication (N1 gas producer) no longer matched with the No. 1 engine; "it was lower and oscillating." Within about 1 minute of the turn toward GYY, the pilot "heard the low rotor RPM horn", and he lowered the collective to maintain rotor speed. The pilot located a "dark spot" which would give him the best opportunity to complete a full autorotation with a flare to cushion the landing. The pilot determined he no longer could troubleshoot the problem and was doing his best to fly the helicopter. As he started a turn toward his intended landing location, he felt the tail oscillate to the right and back and heard increase and decrease in engine speed. About 200 ft agl, he thought he may land short of the intended location, and he made adjustments to the collective and cyclic to maintain rotor RPM and airspeed. The pilot then initiated a flare and landing. After the helicopter came to rest, the flight paramedic mentioned the helicopter was on fire, and the pilot noticed a fire near the No. 2 engine. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONA review of the pilot's records and telephone interviews revealed the pilot was hired by Pentastar in August 2016 and primarily flew the EC135 P2+ helicopter. His most recent Federal Aviation Regulations Part 135 competency check was completed March 31, 2018, in the EC135 P2+ helicopter, which was equipped with a different cockpit display than the EC135 P1 accident helicopter. At the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated about 319 flight hours in the EC135 P2+, with about 11 total hours in the EC135 P1. The pilot completed the Pentastar "RW EC-135P1 Differences Training", which was an online self-study course, on February 18, 2018. The online course included, but was not limited to, the following differences: Cockpit Display System (CDS) versus Center Panel Display System (CPDS) (P2+), analogue versus first limit indicator (FLI) all engines operative and one engine inoperative limits, and twist grip controls. In addition, the pilot stated he completed some "hands-on" EC135 P1 training with other company pilots, and familiarization flights. The pilot had not received any simulator training for the EC135 P1 helicopter as there was no EC135 P1 simulator available at any worldwide training facility. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONAccording to Pentastar, the helicopter was maintained according to the manufacturer's inspection program, and the most recent inspection was completed on April 2, 2018. At the time of the accident, the helicopter had accrued 6,555.4 flight hours. The helicopter was not equipped or certified for instrument flight rules operations. The engines were equipped with Electronic Engine Control (EEC). The engine throttles (twist grips) were mounted on the collective. The forward throttle was for the No. 1 (left position) engine, and the aft throttle was for the No. 2 (right position) engine. For the throttles to be in the neutral position, a white line and the letter "N" on each throttle need to be aligned with a white arrow on the collective. There was a detent when the throttle was rolled across the neutral position, which matched the painted positions that were mid-way between the full open and minimum idle positions. Normal flight was conducted with the throttles in the neutral position, allowing the EECs to control the engines. The EECs provided several functions, which included the scheduling of fuel and maintaining engine operation within predetermined limits. The airframe manufacturer refers to the engine EECs as Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADECs) in the cockpit indications. The operator's helicopter fleet consisted of two EC135 P2+ helicopters, and one EC135 P1 helicopter. Manual Engine Control According to the EC135 P1 CDS flight manual, if either throttle were rolled out of the neutral position, two annunciator lights would illuminate on the CDS; ENG MANUAL (engine manual) and TWIST GRIP, and a yellow master caution light in the pilot's field of view on the instrument panel. The ENG MANUAL light indicated that the FADEC no longer controlled that engine, and the movements of the collective up or down would not automatically result in engine power changes to maintain constant rotor speed. The TWIST GRIP light indicated that the throttle was not in the neutral position but was unaffected by whether the engine was in manual or under FADEC control. The rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) page 3-16, indicated the following warning about operating the engine in the manual mode: "OPERATE THE TWIST GRIP WITH GREAT CARE AND AVOID QUICK TWIST GRIP ROTATIONS. H