Aerospatiale AS350B2 accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, May 22, 2023
On May 22, 2023 at about 1:40 am local time, a 1982 Aerospatiale AS350B2 (helicopter), registered N745RH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Daniel K. Inouye International airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructor pilot’s inadequate supervision of the pilot receiving instruction, which resulted in a hard landing, and substantial damage to the tail boom.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2023 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Daniel K. Inouye International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350B2, built 1982 · all AS350B2s on the register
- Registration
- N745RH · registry record · serial 2047
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction and instructor pilot completed a Part 135 recurrent training flight, which included, in part, autorotations, hovering autorotations, and sloping ground landings. A post-flight inspection revealed substantial damage to the tail boom that was consistent with a hard landing. The pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Rotorcraft tail boom › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,595 hours in all; 616 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,530 as pilot in command; 680 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 3, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,100 hours in all; 142 in this make and model; 212 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 5,500 as pilot in command; 750 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 23, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,293.9 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 20, 2023; 4.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Safran Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 (turboshaft); 9,129 hours total
- Operator: Novictor Aviation
The flight
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PHNL, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PHNL 220153Z 07016KT 10SM FEW022 FEW038 29/20 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP177 T02940200
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC23LA038.