Were there any fatalities in the 8 Mar 2014 PETER W STEVENS BEARHAWK PATROL accident?

No fatalities were recorded in this accident.

Runway Excursion of Bearhawk Patrol After Encountering Rotorwash from Helicopter HIT Checks (N123WW)

Q: What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 8 Mar 2014 involved a PETER W STEVENS BEARHAWK PATROL, registration N123WW, operated by STEVENS PETER W, at Salt Lake City, UT.

On 8 Mar 2014, a PETER W STEVENS BEARHAWK PATROL (registration N123WW) operated by STEVENS PETER W was involved in an aviation accident near Salt Lake City, UT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB.

On March 8, 2014, a Peter W Stevens Bearhawk Patrol, N123WW, experienced a runway excursion during landing roll at South Valley Regional Airport, Utah. The pilot, uninjured, attributed the event to rotorwash from four Blackhawk helicopters performing engine Health Indicator Test (HIT) checks on a nearby taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

Introduction

On March 8, 2014, about 1330 mountain daylight time, a Peter W Stevens Bearhawk Patrol, registration N123WW, experienced a runway excursion during the landing roll at South Valley Regional Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah. The owner/pilot was operating the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The cross-country personal flight had departed Bountiful, Utah, at 1315. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

Flight Details

The pilot reported landing on runway 34. As the airplane slowed to 10-15 miles per hour, it came abeam five Blackhawk helicopters hovering in formation on taxiway Bravo. The pilot stated that the left side of the airplane encountered a sudden blast of air, causing the left wing to lift. The airplane then spun hard to the right, exited the runway into a dirt area, and came to rest facing 180 degrees in the opposite direction. The left wing tip struck the ground during the excursion, resulting in substantial damage.

Helicopter Activity

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector determined that four helicopters were on taxiway Bravo performing engine Health Indicator Test (HIT) checks. The helicopters were using 30 percent power with two engines operating and 60 percent power with one engine operating—approximately half the power needed to hover. Using scaled airport construction diagrams, the inspector calculated that the distance from the helicopters to the airplane's location when it passed abeam was about 400 feet.

Relevant Guidance

The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (Section 7-3-7) and Advisory Circular AC 90-23G (paragraph 10) state that if a helicopter is in a stationary hover near the surface, the main rotors generate downwash producing high-velocity outwash vortices to a distance of approximately three times the diameter of the rotor. The diameter of the Blackhawk's main rotor blades is 53 feet 8 inches; three diameters compute to 176 feet. The guidance advises pilots of small aircraft to avoid operating within that distance.

Weather

The wind reported at the nearest recording station was from 360 degrees at 5 knots.

8 Mar 2014: PETER W STEVENS BEARHAWK PATROL (N123WW) — STEVENS PETER W — Salt Lake City, UT