On March 26, 1994, a Hughes 369D (registration N113RS) operated by Mauna Kea Helicopters was involved in an aviation accident near Hi. Nat'l Park, HI. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's in-flight decision to maneuver the helicopter close to an active volcano steam vent which resulted in a whiteout condition from the steam, and the pilot's subsequent loss of visual contact with the ground. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A pilot encountered a steam cloud while hovering, lost visual contact, and during a descent the helicopter's left skid struck a rock, causing it to roll and collide with terrain.
Incident Overview
A helicopter pilot was conducting a hover near a volcano vent when a steam cloud enveloped the aircraft. The pilot lost visual contact with the ground while at a 5-foot hover. In an attempt to regain visual reference, the pilot initiated a descent.
Sequence of Events
During the descent, the helicopter's left skid contacted a rock. This contact caused the helicopter to roll to the right and subsequently strike the ground. The collision with mountainous terrain occurred in the vicinity of the volcano vent.
Contributing Factors
While the source does not explicitly assign a probable cause, the sequence indicates that the steam cloud led to a loss of visual contact, and the subsequent descent resulted in an impact with terrain.