Two Fatally Injured When Aircraft Struck Power Lines And Went Down

The NTSB has released its factual report from an accident which occurred November 3, 2012 involving an Atlanta Police Department helicopter. The two people on board the aircraft, a commercial pilot and a pilot-rated tactical flight officer (TFO), were fatally injured and the Hughes OH-6A, N368PD, was substantially damaged following a collision with power lines and terrain while maneuvering at Atlanta, Georgia. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the Atlanta Police Department (APD) as a public use flight. Night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) at 2224.

The purpose of the flight was to support ground-based police personnel in locating a missing child. The search area was about 6 to 7 nautical miles northwest of ATL. The pilot was flying in the right cockpit seat and the TFO was in the left cockpit seat. A review of recorded APD voice communications revealed that the TFO made a "three minutes out" call, a "two minutes out" call, and then he reported that the flight was "26" (on station). There were no distress calls received from the flight crew prior to the accident.

The helicopter was observed on radar, maneuvering, immediately prior to the accident. The radar data revealed that the helicopter traveled southbound, across Interstate 20, at about 1,300 feet above mean sea level (msl). The helicopter was then observed in a left turn of about 270 degrees, to a westerly heading. The last three recorded radar returns showed the helicopter at 1,200 feet msl (about 200 feet above ground level). The last recorded radar return was about 0.17 nm east of the accident site.

The accident occurred within the city limits of Atlanta and several people witnessed the accident.

An APD officer was in her personal vehicle, adjacent to the accident site, when she observed the helicopter traveling in a northwesterly direction. She observed that it was a police helicopter and the searchlight was on and pointed down. The helicopter disappeared from her view and she heard noises, like "sparking" sounds. She looked up and the searchlight had disappeared. She heard two loud explosions and saw the helicopter on the ground, engulfed in flames. When she initially observed the helicopter in flight, the engine was running it was traveling straight and not descending. The helicopter was not spinning or twisting, and seemed normal in appearance to her. She observed no smoke or anything unusual prior to the crash.

Another APD officer was in his personal vehicle at the same intersection at the time of the accident. He observed an object "explode" in his peripheral vision and noticed that a transformer had exploded and something was on fire. A few seconds later the helicopter fell into the street and exploded.

One witness was sitting on a wall with friends when he observed the helicopter traveling toward the local mass transit station, "very low." He said to his friends, "That helicopter is flying too [expletive] low!" The helicopter then hit a "transformer or something" and "nose-dived" into the street and exploded. He stated that the engine sounded normal before the crash and he could hear the rotor blades. He reported that the helicopter was "down low like it was chasing something" and the helicopter's searchlight was on.

Another witness was in the parking lot of a gas station, adjacent to the accident site. She saw the helicopter and said, "Why is that helicopter flying so low?" She observed the helicopter at the same altitude and did not see it climbing or descending. She observed that the bottom of helicopter "caught the wires and it just flipped over into the street and blew up." Just prior to striking the wires, the helicopter was not climbing or descending, and it was not spinning. She stated that the helicopter made a "sputtering" sound, but she did not know what one was supposed to sound like.

Another witness was on the balcony of her apartment with a friend when she observed the helicopter at a very low altitude. She stated that the helicopter made two complete circles and during the third circle, the helicopter hit the wires and exploded. The helicopter was at the same altitude during all three circles. The helicopter's searchlight was on and pointed down just prior to the accident.

Several witnesses were interviewed by APD personnel at a local precinct after the accident. The interviews were recorded on video and copies were provided to the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge (IIC). The IIC recorded observations of the video contents (Video Reviews) and those reviews are contained in the public docket for this accident investigation.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for rotorcraft-helicopter. He reported a total flight experience of 2,900 hours, including 70 hours during the last six months, on his second class medical certificate application, dated September 27, 2012. His last annual flight review/unit check ride occurred on March 6, 2012, in a MD Helicopters 369E.

A review of the pilot's logbook revealed about 2,933 hours total time, all in helicopters. He also recorded about 2,354 hours of night time.

The TFO held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. He did not hold a rotorcraft rating. He reported a total flight experience of 600 hours, including 0 hours during the last six months, on his second class medical certificate application, dated August 8, 2012. He was not yet fully qualified as a TFO and was still receiving on-the-job training at the time of the accident.

FMI: Factual Report