Accident Details
On June 27, 2014, at 1720 mountain daylight time, an Aerospatiale AS350B helicopter, registration N69PJ, collided with terrain while landing at a private heliport at the P J Arabian Ranch in Mayhill, New Mexico. The helicopter was operated by Pay Jay Air, Inc. as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Artesia Municipal Airport (ATS) in Artesia, New Mexico, at 1645. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured; one passenger received minor injuries and a third passenger was seriously injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that upon reaching the destination, he noticed the wind was "very gusty" and the wind sock indicated the wind direction was varying from a headwind to a 90-degree crosswind. Due to the wind, the pilot initiated a go-around, climbing 300 to 500 feet and increasing airspeed by 50 to 55 knots. He initiated a right turn, at which time the helicopter encountered either a strong gust or "ground twister," resulting in the helicopter nosing down 15 to 20 degrees. The pilot leveled the nose but was unable to stop the descent rate. The helicopter impacted the terrain, bounced 10 to 15 feet in the air, and impacted the terrain a second time.
Weather Conditions
The wind condition recorded by the Artesia Municipal Airport Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), located about 53 miles east of the accident site, at 1635, was from 260 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 25 knots. At 1715, the ATS AWOS reported wind from 260 degrees at 19 knots gusting to 29 knots. The Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport (ALM) AWOS, located about 37 miles west of the accident site, reported at 1715 wind from 260 degrees at 19 knots gusting to 29 knots. The pilot reported checking the AWOS at his departure airport before departure, at which time it indicated wind from 240 degrees at 17 knots gusting to 21 knots.
Helicopter Status
The pilot reported that there were no failures or malfunctions of the helicopter before the accident.