On February 7, 2002, an Aerospatiale AS350-B (registration N6080D) was involved in an aviation accident near Girdwood, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate distance from a radio antenna during landing. A factor was the presence of an antenna. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A commercial helicopter pilot transporting a radio technician to a remote site struck a radio antenna with a main rotor blade during a landing in snow. Damage was discovered later, and the blade was replaced.
Incident Overview
A commercial pilot was operating a helicopter to transport a radio technician to a remote radio repeater site. The area surrounding the repeater site was covered with snow.
Collision with Antenna
During the landing, one of the main rotor blades on the helicopter struck a radio antenna. The pilot was not aware that a collision had occurred at the time of landing.
Discovery of Damage
Later in the day, the pilot discovered damage to a main rotor blade. The damaged blade was subsequently removed from the helicopter, and a replacement blade was installed.
Blade Repair
The damaged rotor blade was returned to the manufacturer in France for repair.