5 fatal · AMERICAN EUROCOPTER CORP AS350B2 · 2018-03-11 · New York, NY, USA
Event
NTSB number
ERA18MA099
Event ID
20180311X13013
Type
Accident
Date
2018-03-11
Location
New York, NY, USA
Coordinates
40.775554, -73.940002
Injuries
Highest injury
FATL
Fatal
5
Serious
0
Minor
1
Uninjured
0
Total aboard
6
Aircraft
Make
AMERICAN EUROCOPTER CORP
Model
AS350B2
Registration
N350LH
FAR Part
091
Engines
1
Damage
SUBS
Conditions
Light
DUSK
Weather
VMC
Probable cause
Liberty Helicopters Inc.'s use of a NYONair-provided passenger harness/tether system, which caught on and activated the floor-mounted engine fuel shutoff lever and resulted in the in-flight loss of engine power and the subsequent ditching. Contributing to this accident were (1) Liberty's and NYONair's deficient safety management, which did not adequately mitigate foreseeable risks associated with the harness/tether system interfering with the floor-mounted controls and hindering passenger egress; (2) Liberty allowing NYONair to influence the operational control of Liberty's FlyNYON flights; and (3) the Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate oversight of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 revenue passenger-carrying operations. Contributing to the severity of the accident were (1) the rapid capsizing of the helicopter due to partial inflation of the emergency flotation system and (2) Liberty and NYONair's use of the harness/tether system that hindered passenger egress.