Eurocopter AS 350 B3 accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, August 27, 2006
On August 27, 2006 at about 7:21 am local time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B3 (helicopter), registered N973AE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
Internal damage to the stop electro valve which resulted in fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2006 · about 7:21 am local time
- Place
- Casa Grande, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS 350 B3 · all AS 350 B3s on the register
- Registration
- N973AE · registry record · serial 3229
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The engine lost power during an attempted takeoff, and the helicopter landed hard. Just prior to the accident flight, the adjusted valve assembly on the engine was removed and replaced. Following this maintenance, the pilot flew the helicopter to a hospital where a flight paramedic and nurse boarded the helicopter. Upon liftoff, the engine lost power and the helicopter landed hard. Post accident test run and examination of the engine showed that uncommanded shutdowns of the engine would occur at higher power settings. Disassembly of the adjusted valve assembly revealed that the stop electro valve was damaged internally. The damage consisted of a deformation of the core housing which would not allow the stop electro valve to completely open during operation. In this condition, a pressure drop would occur, which would lead to an untimely activation of the stop purge valve and a fuel flow drop. The adjusted valve assembly had been overhauled by the engine manufacturer and then sold to the operator, prior to its installation on the engine. The engine manufacturer indicated that this damage occurred between the time the component was shipped from the factory and its first use, however, they could not ascertain how the damage occurred. The damage was not apparent until the unit was disassembled. Metallurgical examination showed that the damage occurred when the valve was in a disassembled condition.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,476 hours in all; 1,273 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 7,645 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,530 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2006; 0.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Casa Grande Hel AZ at 7:20 am
- Destination: Phoenix AZ
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 am from CGZ, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 LAX06LA273.