Posted on: Friday, February 11, 2005

'Hard landing' of Big Island helicopter detailed

Advertiser Staff

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a preliminary accident report describing an emergency landing of a tour helicopter that hit some trees near Pahoa on the Big Island.

The pilot and four passengers on the Paradise Helicopters tour were uninjured in the Jan. 21 incident. The helicopter, an MD 500, sustained substantial damage, according to the report.

The tour took off at 3 p.m. from Kona International Airport and continued until the pilot noticed an unusual vibration about a half-hour later.

The pilot believed the vibration may have been from the tail rotor system and decided to make a precautionary landing, the report said. But when additional power was applied, the vibration worsened, so the pilot reduced the engine power and performed an autorotation — a type of "gliding" requiring less engine power, according to the Web site verticalreference.com — to a landing area.

That's when the aircraft hit some trees and bushes, causing tail rotor blades and the tail rotor gearbox assembly to break off. The tail boom also was damaged. A tree branch punctured the craft's belly skin, according to the report.

The tail rotor blades are being shipped to the NTSB materials laboratory in Washington for further examination.

"Unfortunately these things happen," said Calvin Dorn, president of Paradise Helicopters, who described the incident as a "hard landing."

Dorn said the pilot deserves praise for setting down the helicopter in such a way as to allow the passengers to walk away without injuries.