Eurocopter France AS355N accident near Redding, California, April 18, 2003
On April 18, 2003 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Eurocopter France AS355N (helicopter), registered N355J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Redding, California (Redding Muni 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate obstruction clearance during landing, which resulted in the tail rotor contacting a brush pile. The accident sequence was precipitated by the initiation of a precautionary landing by the pilot due to a discrepancy with the engines' torque meter gauge.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 2003 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Redding, California · Redding Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter France AS355N · all AS355Ns on the register
- Registration
- N355J · no longer on the register · serial 5360
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter's main rotor and tail rotor blades contacted a brush pile during a precautionary landing that was preceded by a discrepancy in the engine/power torque indication gages. The flying pilot (FP) conducted a normal start up and hover taxied the helicopter to a predetermined location for takeoff. He observed a discrepancy between the two engine torque indicator needles, with no other engine, systems, or rotor indications noted, which led him to make the precautionary landing. As the FP hovered the helicopter in a high hover about 10 feet above the ground, he initiated a slow left turn, with the intention of keeping an adjacent brush pile in view. The pilot reported that the initial 45 degrees of the left turn were normal. Unbeknownst to the pilot, the tail rotor had contacted a brush pile. After the tail rotor contacted the brush pile and the tail rotor gear box separated from the tail boom, the helicopter pitch attitude changed to a nose low attitude and the helicopter started to yaw to the left with the yaw rate increasing. The FP attempted to counteract the loss of control with full aft cyclic and full right pedal, with no effect. Ultimately the main rotor struck the brush pile and the helicopter rotated to the left. The helicopter manufacturer does not identify a torque split between the number 1 and number 2 engines as an emergency. The normal procedure for a torque split discrepancy is to utilize the equalizing trim to balance the torque loads. The FP indicated there was very little apparent vibration, and the NFP did not report any vibrations. After the accident it was observed that the tail and tail rotor assembly had separated from the tail boom, and one of the STARFLEX rotor head arms were fractured at a 45-degree angle. Left yaw of the helicopter is consistent with a loss of tail rotor authority, and the change in noise level heard by the crew could be associated with the tail rotor's interaction with the brush pile. Both engines were test run at the Turbomeca factory in Texas, under the auspices of a Safety Board Investigator on September 3, 2003. No discrepancies were noted with the test run.
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
Pilot
- 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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- 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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,175.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2002; 52.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,732 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Turbomeca Arrius 1A (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Turbomeca Arrius 1A (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RDD Redding CA at 5:17 pm
- Destination: RDD Redding CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from RDD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 LAX03LA138.