Accident Overview
On September 2, 2015, at approximately 03:10 pm, a Eurocopter AS-350B3 helicopter, registration N-146AE, crashed onto a house in the Maquiteria sector of Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic. The helicopter was performing a commercial flight between Punta Cana and Aeropuerto Internacional Dr. Joaquin Balaguer (MDJB). The pilot, the only person on board, suffered serious injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The helicopter, manufactured by Eurocopter in 2003, was an AS-350B3 model (serial number 3737). It was equipped with a single Turbomeca Arriel 2B turboshaft engine (serial number 22414) producing 557 kW, and used JP1 fuel. The aircraft had a total of 881.1 hours at the time of the accident. Its last 100-hour inspection was on July 17, 2015. The empty weight was 2,917 lbs and maximum takeoff weight 4,960 lbs. The operator was listed as Bank of Utah Trustee.
The pilot, a Dominican national born August 28, 1980, held a valid medical certificate dated September 4, 2014. He had a total of 2,300 flying hours, with 900 hours on the AS 350 type. He had flown 50 hours in the last 90 days, 30 hours in the last 30 days, and no hours in the last 72 hours. His duty period began at 1:30 pm, with 10 hours of rest prior. He had been flying the accident aircraft for 1 hour and 30 minutes before the accident.
Damage
The helicopter struck a tree and then impacted a house roof, coming to rest inverted. The aircraft sustained sufficient damage to be declared destroyed, with broken components and parts remaining at the scene. The house roof suffered significant damage; surrounding houses experienced minor damage.
Weather
The weather forecast for Santo Domingo Este on the day of the accident indicated partly cloudy to cloudy conditions with showers and thunderstorms. The general synopsis mentioned a trough aloft and a tropical wave affecting the area, with hot temperatures.
Investigation
The Comisión Investigadora de Accidentes de Aviación (CIAA) of the Dominican Republic conducted the investigation. The report did not state a probable cause in the provided text.