Aerospatiale AS 355F2 accident near Beekmantown, NY
On October 30, 2018, an Aerospatiale AS 355F2 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Beekmantown, NY. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 30, 2018
- Place
- Beekmantown, NY
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS 355F2 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.744°N, 73.439°W
- NTSB ID
- 20181030X81557
Official records · ERA19FA035
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 30, 2018, about 1611 eastern daylight time, an Aerospatiale AS355F2, N372CA, was destroyed when it collided with a wooden utility pole and power lines while conducting power line construction operations near Beekmantown, New York. The airline transport pilot and a lineman were fatally injured, and the pilot-rated passenger and another lineman sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Catalyst Aviation, LLC, and was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 external load operation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that departed from a designated landing zone near Plattsburgh, New York, at 1602. The power lines the crew was working on were supported by two 75-ft-tall wooden utility poles connected by a wooden horizontal bar and two wooden cross bars. The horizontal bar was installed about 6.5 ft below the top of the two poles. The power lines were oriented northwest/southeast. The helicopter was equipped with a bench (platform) that was attached externally on the right side of the right landing gear. A lineman would sit on the bench while performing his duties. The pilot, who was seated in the front right seat, would position the helicopter on the left side of the utility pole so that the lineman would be able to accomplish work. The two helicopter occupants who survived the accident, the pilot-rated passenger and one of the lineman, as well as two witnesses on the ground, provided their accounts of the
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to keep the helicopter clear of a utility pole while hovering with a tailwind, which resulted in a dynamic rollover into active power lines.
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Browse: New York · Aerospatiale 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.
