Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 11, 2020, at 0732 mountain daylight time, an Aerospatiale AS355F1 helicopter, N708AC, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Rifle, Colorado. The pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight.

According to the operator, the company flight tracking program showed the helicopter departed the Rifle Garfield County Airport (RIL), Rifle, Colorado, and was en route about 100 ft above ground level to a substation to perform a low altitude aerial observation flight of transmission/power lines. The flight track ended near the accident location after a 3-4-minute flight about one mile southwest of RIL. Witnesses, located on a distant roadway, stated the helicopter “took a nose-dive and started to spin out of control. It did several spins…and hit the ground.”

The helicopter passenger, who was employed by Chesapeake Bay Helicopters and had performed aerial observation as a camera operator for about 2 years, reported that the pilot began a hover over the electrical substation while they discussed a plan for the flight. While in a low altitude hover, the helicopter began swaying left and right, then entered a spin in a counterclockwise (left) direction. Shortly thereafter, the helicopter impacted the terrain, and a postcrash fire ensued that consumed a majority of the helicopter. According to the operator, the pilot had no recollection of the accident.

PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe accident passenger stated that he had flown the with the accident pilot on past flights and had no concerns or issues, and he never felt unsafe.

Another Chesapeake Bay Helicopters employee, who was the aerial observation passenger on recent flights with the accident pilot, reported experiencing some incidents with the accident pilot that made her feel unsafe. After the incidents, the employee requested to a supervisor to be removed from the project with the accident pilot or would remain on the project if the accident pilot was replaced. The passenger elected to discontinue her future project flights and was replaced by the employee who was involved in the accident.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONAccording to the operator, the gross weight of the helicopter at the time of the accident was 5,040 lbs.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe calculated density altitude was 6,566 ft mean sea level (msl).

AIRPORT INFORMATIONAccording to the operator, the gross weight of the helicopter at the time of the accident was 5,040 lbs.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe helicopter came to rest in rocky terrain at an elevation of about 5,500 ft msl (See Figure 1. Main Wreckage). The vertical stabilizer and tail rotor assembly came to rest adjacent to the main wreckage and did not display any thermal damage. One tail rotor blade was separated near the hub, and one blade was fractured and splintered. There was no evidence the helicopter contacted any power or transm