Transportation Safety Board report details lead-up to fatal B.C. helicopter accident
The board said the pilot abbreviated a checklist, leaving hydraulic pressure in the system and a pedal engaged before the helicopter spun 540 degrees.
- On May 6, 2023, a helicopter at Smithers Airport in British Columbia rotated unexpectedly 540 degrees during maintenance operations, with its tail rotor striking both ground workers and killing one while severely injuring the other.
- The pilot missed critical checklist steps while using his cellphone to listen to music and follow a live sporting event, which the Transportation Safety Board found distracted him from maintenance procedures.
- Both ground workers attempted to escape but were struck repeatedly by the tail rotor, while the board determined the pilot's cellphone use was 'distracting him from the maintenance ground run operations,' though causation at the moment of rotation remained unclear.
- Mustang Helicopters Inc. changed procedures after the accident and created a distraction policy requiring the stowing of electronic devices, yet Canada has no federal regulations banning cellphone use in aircraft cockpits.
- The Transportation Safety Board has identified portable electronic device risks in multiple prior accidents, exposing a systemic vulnerability as Canada lacks regulatory oversight for cellphone use during critical cockpit operations.
51 Articles
51 Articles
Pilot error blamed for 2023 northwest B.C. fatal helicopter incident - Creston Valley Advance
A Transportation Safety Board report released today reveals a pilot error was responsible for a 2023 incident that left one member of the maintenance crew dead in Smithers. On May 6, 2023, during a maintenance ground run to balance the tail rotor of a Mustang Helicopters Airbus AS 350 B3, the aircraft went into an “uncommanded rotation,” the TSB report states. The helicopter rotated approximately 540 degrees before the pilot was able to shut dow…
Pilot error blamed for 2023 fatal helicopter incident at Smithers airport - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier
A Transportation Safety Board report released today reveals a pilot error was responsible for a 2023 incident that left one member of the maintenance crew dead in Smithers. On May 6, 2023, during a maintenance ground run to balance the tail rotor of a Mustang Helicopters Airbus AS 350 B3, the aircraft went into an “uncommanded rotation,” the TSB report states. The helicopter rotated approximately 540 degrees before the pilot was able to shut dow…
Pilot error blamed for 2023 northwest B.C. fatal helicopter incident - Grand Forks Gazette
A Transportation Safety Board report released today reveals a pilot error was responsible for a 2023 incident that left one member of the maintenance crew dead in Smithers. On May 6, 2023, during a maintenance ground run to balance the tail rotor of a Mustang Helicopters Airbus AS 350 B3, the aircraft went into an “uncommanded rotation,” the TSB report states. The helicopter rotated approximately 540 degrees before the pilot was able to shut dow…
Pilot error blamed for 2023 fatal helicopter incident at Smithers airport - Vanderhoof Omineca Express
A Transportation Safety Board report released today reveals a pilot error was responsible for a 2023 incident that left one member of the maintenance crew dead in Smithers. On May 6, 2023, during a maintenance ground run to balance the tail rotor of a Mustang Helicopters Airbus AS 350 B3, the aircraft went into an “uncommanded rotation,” the TSB report states. The helicopter rotated approximately 540 degrees before the pilot was able to shut dow…
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