NTSB Names Probable Cause of Tour Helicopter Hard Landing in Waihee

The National Transportation Safety Board released their final report on a tour helicopter flight that landed in a Waiheʻe Pasture on June 17, 2014.

According to the NTSB, the probable cause of the hard landing was failure of the pneumatic fuel control line fitting, resulting in a loss of engine power.  Inspectors say that contributing to the failure was the repeated loosening and re-torqueing of the fitting during required maintenance and inspection.

According to the report, “The manufacturer felt that with the use of proper torqueing values and proper torqueing techniques as defined in the engine maintenance manual, an issue like this should not occur. However, in order to add an additional significant safety margin to the assembly in the event that the proper torque or technique is not used, the manufacturer also increased the part’s strength with a thicker wall thickness at the fitting inlet.”

The NTSB reports that the flight aboard the Airbus AS 350 BA helicopter operated by Sunshine Helicopters, departed from Kahului Airport on for a scenic tour, and made the hard landing about a half hour later.

While the damage to the helicopter was described as “substantial,” all seven people aboard were uninjured in the incident.

Helicopter hard landing in Waiheʻe. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Helicopter hard landing in Waiheʻe. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Helicopter hard landing in Waiheʻe. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Helicopter hard landing in Waiheʻe. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Helicopter hard landing in Waiheʻe. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Helicopter hard landing in Waiheʻe. Photo by Wendy Osher.