Airbus AS350 accident near Draper, Utah, September 9, 2015
On September 9, 2015 at about 4:40 pm local time, a 2013 Airbus AS350 (helicopter), registered N253HP, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Draper, Utah. It was a public-use flight (state) under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The ground recovery team member's failure to secure a rescue rope during the helicopter loading process in steep terrain, resulting in the rope fouling the helicopter's main rotor system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2015 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Draper, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus AS350 B3, built 2013
- Registration
- N253HP · no longer on the register · serial 7533
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (state) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he and a tactical flight officer were conducting a high altitude rescue mission in "remote and nearly vertical" terrain with a public use helicopter, by doing a one-skid recovery. The purpose of this mission was to recover a fallen hiker. A member of the three person ground recovery team had secured himself to a rescue rope that was anchored to the steep terrain above the plane-of-rotation of the main rotor system blades. Once the helicopter's right skid landed on a rock outcrop, the ground recovery team approached the helicopter to begin the loading process. During the approach to the helicopter, the rescue rope came in contact with a main rotor blade. The pilot reported that the helicopter then, "rotated abruptly to the left and began to shake violently." The helicopter impacted terrain, the pilot regained control, and he then made an emergency landing at a lower altitude. He reported that upon applying power to land, the helicopter "began to shake violently again until touching down and reducing collective pitch." A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the main rotor system, the tail boom, and the empennage. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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
- External load event (Rotorcraft) during maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Emergency services personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor system › Main rotor head system › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Rotorcraft flight control › Main rotor control › Damaged/degraded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 1, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 834.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 3, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 5,225 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2D (turboshaft); 834 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 2:30 pm
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KSLC, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 24, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs (Courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol Aero Bureau) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Video Tape | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.