ATX HELICOPTER LOST HYDRAULIC PRESSURE DURING A RETURN FLT FOLLOWING A PASSENGER DROP. PLT ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO DESTINATION PASSING THREE AVAILABLE ARPTS ENROUTE.
Synopsis
ATX HELICOPTER LOST HYDRAULIC PRESSURE DURING A RETURN FLT FOLLOWING A PASSENGER DROP. PLT ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO DESTINATION PASSING THREE AVAILABLE ARPTS ENROUTE.
Narrative
DEP ZZZ GENERAL HOSPITAL; AFTER DROPPING OFF A PATIENT. IN CONTACT WITH ZZZ APCH. ABOUT 20 MI NW OF XYZ FIELD LOW ROTOR RPM LIGHT AND HORN CAME ON. ROTOR TACH WENT TO ZERO AND FLT CONTROLS BECAME HEAVY. DETERMINED ROTOR TACH GEN AND HYD PUMP LOST DRIVE. WENT THROUGH HYD OUT PROC AND SECURED ACFT. ELECTED TO CONTINUE FLT TO DEST HOSPITAL. UPON ARR DEVIATED TO NEARBY ARPT AND PERFORMED UNEVENTFUL HYD OUT LNDG. MANUFACTURER STATES TO LAND ACFT AS SOON AS PRACTICAL MEANING FLT MAY BE CONTINUED AT PLT'S DISCRETION BUT PASSING AN APPROVED LNDG AREA WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. PASSED THREE ARPTS TO DEST. HOWEVER PLT DETERMINED THE MOST PRACTICAL AND COMMON SENSE THING TO DO WAS TO CONTINUE TO THE DEST RATHER THAN LAND AT AN ARPT WHERE EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED AND NO ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE. THE ACFT WAS UNDER CONTROL AND STABLE. AT NIGHT WITH HYDS OUT IT IS RECOMMENDED TO LAND AT AN APPROVED AREA. SHOT APCH TO LIT RWY THEN SIDESTEPPED OFF TO UNLIT UNAPPROVED GRASS AREA TO SIDE OF RWY. PLT ELECTED TO DO THIS BECAUSE THE ARPT IS UNATTENDED AT NIGHT AND IS UNCTLED. PLT DETERMINED THAT TO LAND AND LEAVE ACFT ON RWY OR TXWY WOULD BE UNSAFE SO ACFT WAS LANDED IN GRASS AREA NEXT TO RWY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.