Airbus EC130 accident near Hanalei, HI
On January 18, 2016, an Airbus EC130 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Hanalei, HI. 7 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 18, 2016
- Place
- Hanalei, HI
- Aircraft
- Airbus EC130 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 7 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 22.173°N, 159.658°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160119X14513
Official records · WPR16FA055
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 17, 2016, about 1432 Hawaii standard time (HST), an Airbus EC130 T2, N11VQ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hanalei, Hawaii. The commercial pilot and six passengers were seriously injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air tour flight. The pilot reported that, about 25 minutes after departure for the sightseeing flight, the helicopter was about 1/4-mile offshore northwest of the Honopu Sea Arch between 1,300 ft and 1,400 ft mean sea level (msl) when he heard the low rotor rpm aural warning horn. He immediately entered an autorotation, turned toward the beach, and transmitted over the radio that he had an engine failure. As the helicopter approached the shoreline, he made a sharp, low-level right turn to the south to avoid large boulders in his intended landing area and subsequently landed hard on the beach. He applied the rotor brake to slow the rotor and noted that the engine was not running. The passengers began to exit the helicopter and he pulled the engine fuel cutoff. The first indication of an inflight loss of power was an uncommanded right yaw that occurred at 14:31:31. The first limit indicator (FLI) on the instrument console started to drop rapidly, followed by the GENE (generator) annunciator light illumination. The helicopter entered a 20° right turn toward the coastline. Five seconds later, the ENG P (engine oil pressure) annunciator light illuminated, followed by the FUEL P (fuel pressure) light and the helicopter returned to a nearly-level flight a
Probable cause
The fatigue failure of the engine fuel pipe as a result of vibration caused by a worn starter-generator front bearing support, which excited the fuel pipe and caused it to oscillate at a resonant frequency, and a subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the severity of passenger injuries was the improper positioning of the passengers' seat belts.
More accidents in HI
- Beech 65-A90, Jun 22, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Sep 26, 1999
- Boeing 747-122, Feb 24, 1989
- Beech E18S, Apr 23, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 24, 1987
Browse: Hawaii · Airbus aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
