Accident Overview
On February 24, 2009, at approximately 1336 eastern standard time, a Hughes 369F helicopter, registered as N5205C, operated by Presidential Airways Incorporated, crashed into a ship board landing simulator constructed of conex containers at the Blackwater Airstrip (NC61) in Moyock, North Carolina. The aircraft was conducting an instructional flight under 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The helicopter had departed Elizabeth City CG Air Station/Regional Airport (ECG) around 1230. On board were an airline transport pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) and a commercial-rated student pilot.
Sequence of Events
According to the student pilot, after arriving at the hangar, ground crew repositioned a docking cart. The pilots practiced toe landings and single skid landings on both sides. The CFI demonstrated three to four landings on each side, after which the student performed similar numbers. They then moved to the conexes to practice the same toe landings, followed by approaches to the shipboard landing simulators.
The student stated that the CFI performed a circling pattern to clear the area. During an approach to the top rail, the student leaned forward and observed the skid toe under the top rail. As he reached for the press-to-talk button to alert the CFI, the helicopter flipped over into a stairwell. After the helicopter settled with the engine still running, the student shut it off by rolling the throttle from idle to off. He released his restraints, attempted to communicate with the CFI without response, then extracted the CFI and brought him to the ground where paramedics were waiting.
Local witnesses reported that the helicopter appeared to get one or both skids caught on the conex railings, causing it to flip.
Operational Context
Presidential Airways stated that the flight aimed to provide familiarization training in the MD-530 to an experienced helicopter pilot recently hired for deployment to Iraq. The company classified the flight as low risk, intending only basic procedures. However, for undetermined reasons, the CFI elected to demonstrate one-skid and toe-in landings on a ship simulator, a maneuver beyond basic familiarization, at a site not approved for such training.
Pilot Information
The CFI, aged 53, held an FAA airline transport pilot certificate with multiple ratings, including rotorcraft and flight instructor certificates. He had logged approximately 9,000 hours as pilot-in-command and 1,300 hours as a CFI in helicopters. His second-class medical certificate, issued September 29, 2008, required corrective lenses.
Aircraft Examination
FAA inspection revealed the helicopter inverted in the stairwell of the second level of the conex. The top rail of the upper conex was broken and hanging. Second-level railings showed impact damage and were bowed downward. Main rotor blades were broken and partially separated, the tail boom sustained substantial damage, and tail rotor blades were partially separated. No preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airframe or engine were identified that would have prevented normal operation.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
An autopsy performed on February 26, 2009, at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, listed the cause of death as blunt and crush force injuries of the head due to the helicopter crash. Forensic toxicology by the FAA found no carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, or drugs in the pilot's specimens.
Post-Accident Actions
In response to the accident, Presidential Airways implemented several safety improvements: closure of the training site used by the accident crew, development of a local risk mitigation form for each training flight, institution of a local area/training mission release process requiring approval by the Director of Operations or Chief Pilot, and validation that all training programs adhere to FAA Practical Test Standards.