Airbus Helicopters AS350B3E accident near Carlsbad, CA

On November 19, 2015, an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3E (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Carlsbad, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

November 19, 2015

Place

Carlsbad, CA

Aircraft

Airbus Helicopters AS350B3E · Helicopter

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

33.127°N, 117.280°W

NTSB ID

20151118X05037

Official records · WPR16FA029

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Palomar Tower Local Control Audio (Shelf Item): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Palomar Tower Ground Control Audio (Shelf Item): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 18, 2015, at 1623 Pacific standard time, an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3E, N711BE, departed controlled flight while landing on a dolly at Mc Clellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad, California. The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The pilot, who was the owner, was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local personal flight departed Carlsbad at 1412. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to gain familiarity with the helicopter, which he had recently purchased. The entire accident sequence was captured on a series of airport security cameras and the mobile phone cameras of multiple witnesses. About 2 hours before the accident, the helicopter departed from its dolly on the east end of the Premier Jet fixed base operator (FBO) ramp, which was located midfield on the south side of runway 6/24. After departure, line crew moved the dolly to the west end of the ramp. Upon returning, the helicopter approached the airport from the northeast and was cleared to land on runway 24. It descended to midfield, turned left at taxiway A3, and approached the ramp in a low hover via the parallel taxiway A. The helicopter then began an approach to the dolly from the east, directly toward the sun. The helicopter landed short of, and partially on, the dolly with the center of its skids contacting the dolly's aft edge. The helicopter immediately rocked back, pitch

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of control during landing on a dolly. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's decision to conduct the flight without an instructor despite multiple flight instructors' recommendations to the contrary, his failure to land on the ramp when he experienced difficulty landing on the dolly, and his impaired decision-making, judgment, and psychomotor performance, due to his use of

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.