Mcdonnell Douglas Heli Co 369FF accident near Chalmers, IN
On March 14, 2017, a Mcdonnell Douglas Heli Co 369FF (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Chalmers, IN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 14, 2017
- Place
- Chalmers, IN
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Heli Co 369FF · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.649°N, 86.843°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170314X72543
Official records · CEN17FA127
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 14, 2017, at 1546 eastern daylight time, an MD Helicopters 369FF, N530KD, impacted terrain during a power line construction flight near Chalmers, Indiana. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to a private individual and operated by Rogers Helicopters, Inc., under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 as an external load operation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The helicopter departed from a staging area near the accident site about 1530 for the local flight. The purpose of the flight was to thread a braided metal sock line through the center of a tower structure and pull the sock line to the next tower. The helicopter was equipped with a side pull hook assembly that attached the cargo hook to the left cabin step position on the helicopter. A 50-ft blue nylon long line with a protective sheath was attached to the cargo hook, and a grappling hook was attached to the other end of the long line. The grappling hook was connected to a large metal needle that enabled the pilot to thread the sock line through the tower structure. The needle was equipped with two hooks that were used to attach it to the tower structure. To thread the sock line, the pilot hooked the needle to the tower, released the grappling hook, moved the long line to the opposite side of the tower, and picked up the needle with the grappling hook. The tension on the sock line was controlled by a triple drum puller loca
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to ensure that the needle did not entangle with the tower's vertical lattice as he moved the helicopter rearward, which resulted in the helicopter becoming tethered to the tower and a subsequent loss of control.
More accidents in IN
- Pilatus PC-12, May 25, 2011
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-60, Sep 11, 1992
- Cessna 310N, Nov 20, 1984
- Cessna T303, Nov 14, 2006
- Cessna U206G, Apr 21, 2006
Browse: Indiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
