Hughes OH 6 crash near Bullfrog, UT, United States

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 29, 2014, at 1028 mountain daylight time, a Hughes 369A (Army OH 6/A) helicopter, N37929, was in a 50-foot hover when it experienced an uncommanded yaw to the left. The pilot executed a hovering autorotation and impacted steeply sloped canyon terrain about 14.5 miles east of the Bullfrog Basin Airport, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Bullfrog, Utah. The commercial helicopter pilot and other crewmember were seriously injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The United States Department of Agriculture and Wildlife Services operated the helicopter as a public-use flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and a company flight plan was active. The flight originated at Hanksville Airport, Hanksville, Utah, at 0930. The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to locate a radio-tagged Bighorn sheep that had died. They were hovering about 50 feet above ground level (agl) over steeply sloped terrain when the helicopter suddenly yawed to the left in an uncommanded fashion, and rotor rpm started to drop. The pilot lowered the collective and autorotated to a rock ledge. After touching down on the ledge, the helicopter tipped over and tumbled downslope about 60 feet, severing off the tail boom in the process. The pilot and passenger egressed the helicopter, used a cell phone to request assistance, and activated his personal locator beacon (SPOT) device. A Utah Highway Patrol helicopter located the aircrew and wreckage, and coordinated a rescue. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 33, held a commercial pilot certificate with a rotorcraft-helicopter rating, and a second-class medical certificate issued on September 4, 2013, with no limitations or waivers. The pilot reported in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Pilot Accident Report that he had 3,263.6 hours of total rotorcraft flight time, and 1,000.6 hours in the accident helicopter make and model. His most recent flight review was conducted on May 17, 2012. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe 4-place, single-engine, conventionally configured helicopter with skids, Model 369A, serial number 680518 (Army serial number 67-16133), was manufactured in 1967. It was powered by a Rolls Royce 250-C20B, 420-shp engine, serial number CAF-837003. The helicopter was delivered to the U.S. Army on June 29, 1968, transferred to the Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol on July 11, 1991, and then transferred to the US Department of Agriculture on July 26, 2011. The maintenance records show that the helicopter had accumulated 19,761.8 hours total time prior to the mishap flight. The most recent 100-hour inspection was performed on March 21, 2014, at 19,761.1 flight hours. Total time on the engine at the time of the inspection was 4,172.2 hours. The most recent weight and balance was dated November 22, 2013, and showed an empty weight of 1,391.7 lbs. Maximum gross weight was 2,550 lbs. According to the Boeing/MD Helicopters technical representative, the helicopter maintenance appeared to be in compliance with published manufacturer's service letters, notices and bulletins, and applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directives. The Boeing & MDHI wreckage examination technical notes state "The aircraft performance was reviewed within the scope of available documents and data representing the approximate power available conditions and aircraft configuration at the time of the mishap. Data indicates that there was sufficient power available for the conditions and configuration to perform the planned mission, and that the aircraft was capable of being operated within published operational parameters" The performance charts for a Hughes 369HS, a civilian variant comparable to an OH-6A, with a Rolls Royce 250-C20 engine, were used by the pilot to estimate the maximum out of ground effect (OGE) hover performance capability. The performance data showed that for a pressure altitude of 6,000 feet, and air temperature at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the max out-of-ground-effect (OGE) hover weight was 2,550 lbs. The pilot reported that the helicopter's weight at the time of the accident was 2,095 lbs. According to the OH-6 Operators Manual (TM 55-1520-214-10), "The indication of an engine malfunction, either partial or complete power loss are: left yaw, drop in engine rpm, drop in rotor rpm, low rpm audio alarm, illumination of the engine-out warning light, an a change in engine noise." METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONPage Municipal Airport, Arizona, is 70 miles to the southwest, elevation 4,613 mean sea level (msl), reported the following weather at 1053 local time; clear sky, 55 degrees Fahrenheit and wind direction 060 at 14 knots. The pilot reported 5 knots of wind from the north at the time of the accident, and the Utah Highway Patrol helicopter pilot reported the wind was 30 knots at the time he arrived at the accident site. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe 4-place, single-engine, conventionally configured helicopter with skids, Model 369A, serial number 680518 (Army serial number 67-16133), was manufactured in 1967. It was powered by a Rolls Royce 250-C20B, 420-shp engine, serial number CAF-837003. The helicopter was delivered to the U.S. Army on June 29, 1968, transferred to the Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol on July 11, 1991, and then transferred to the US Department of Agriculture on July 26, 2011. The maintenance records show that the helicopter had accumulated 19,761.8 hours total time prior to the mishap flight. The most recent 100-hour inspection was performed on March 21, 2014, at 19,761.1 flight hours. Total time on the engine at the time of the inspection was 4,172.2 hours. The most recent weight and balance was dated November 22, 2013, and showed an empty weight of 1,391.7 lbs. Maximum gross weight was 2,550 lbs. According to the Boeing/MD Helicopters technical representative, the helicopter maintenance appeared to be in compliance with published manufacturer's service letters, notices and bulletins, and applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directives. The Boeing & MDHI wreckage examination technical notes state "The aircraft performance was reviewed within the scope of available documents and data representing the approximate power available conditions and aircraft configuration at the time of the mishap. Data indicates that there was sufficient power available for the conditions and configuration to perform the planned mission, and that the aircraft was capable of being operated within published operational parameters" The performance charts for a Hughes 369HS, a civilian variant comparable to an OH-6A, with a Rolls Royce 250-C20 engine, were used by the pilot to estimate the maximum out of ground effect (OGE) hover performance capability. The performance data showed that for a pressure altitude of 6,000 feet, and air temperature at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the max out-of-ground-effect (OGE) hover weight was 2,550 lbs. The pilot reported that the helicopter's weight at the time of the accident was 2,095 lbs. According to the OH-6 Operators Manual (TM 55-1520-214-10), "The indication of an engine malfunction, either partial or complete power loss are: left yaw, drop in engine rpm, drop in rotor rpm, low rpm audio alarm, illumination of the engine-out warning light, an a change in engine noise." WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe helicopter wreckage was located in a steep desert canyon, elevation 4,699 feet msl. The helicopter fuselage, minus the tail boom and skid tubes, was positioned on a steep rocky slope about 60 feet below a small ledge outcrop. Photos of the wreckage, on-scene, showed a dark stained wet area beneath the main fuselage, consistent with a liquid draining from the helicopter. Recovery personnel also stated that they observed approximately 30 gallons of fuel drain from the helicopter as they moved it. The