Agustadwestland AW139 accident near Hong Kong, Hk, July 3, 2010
On July 3, 2010, a Agustadwestland AW139 (helicopter), registered BMHJ, was destroyed in an accident near Hong Kong (Hong Kong-Sky Shuttle Heliport airport). It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2010
- Place
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong · Hong Kong-Sky Shuttle Heliport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Agustadwestland AW139
- Registration
- BMHJ · no longer on the register · serial 31222
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 3, 2010, a Sky-Shuttle Helicopter AugustaWestland AW139 helicopter, operated as East Asia Airlines, registration number B-MHJ, experienced a tail rotor and tailrotor gearbox separation over Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong shortly after departure from the Hong Kong-Sky Shuttle Heliport. The flight crew reported hearing a loud bang and had no pedal authority. The flight crew performed an autorotation into Victoria Harbor. All thirteen occupants on board exited the helicopter after ditching. The helicopter, tail rotor assembly and tailrotor gearbox were recovered with the exception of one of the tail rotor blades. Examination of the tail rotor blade hub revealed that the white blade had separated at the blade root area. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Hong Kong. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: HONG KONG Civil Aviation Department Queensway Government Offices, 46th Floor 66 Queensway Hong Kong China Tel.: (852) 2-867 4332 E-mail: cadadmin@vol.net Fax: (852) 2-869 0093 AFTN: VHHHYAYX Telex: 61361 CADHK HX This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information obtained for, or released by, the Government of Hong Kong.
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
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitneycanada PT6C-67C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hong Kong
- Destination: Macau Guangdong
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.