Eurocopter EC 130 B4 accident near Makawao, Hawaii, April 21, 2007
On April 21, 2007 at about 1:50 am local time, a Eurocopter EC 130 B4 (helicopter), registered N130WS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Makawao, Hawaii. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 5 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to takeoff downwind in a confined landing zone, which resulted in a failure to attain translational lift and a loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2007 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Makawao, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter EC 130 B4 · all EC 130 B4s on the register
- Registration
- N130WS · registry record · serial 3685
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was one of two helicopters dispatched empty from the company's base to pick up passengers from a confined area remote site at a private residence. The landing at the remote site was uneventful. Passengers were loaded into the other helicopter, and it departed without incident about 3 to 4 minutes prior to departure of the accident helicopter. The passengers were loaded into the accident helicopter, and the pilot briefed them prior to takeoff. The pilot stated that he used maximum allowable power to initiate the takeoff and started forward movement with the cyclic "needing to clear the trees/wires on the takeoff." The helicopter stopped climbing at about 30 ft agl, as it reached tree top height. The nose started to turn left, and the pilot could not stop the turn with right pedal. The helicopter continued to turn left as it settled into the trees and descended to ground impact. The pilot reported no mechanical discrepancies with the helicopter. Four minutes before the accident, the nearest weather reporting station, located about 4 nautical miles from the accident site, reported winds from a true heading of 050 at 19 knots gusting to 29 knots. Review of an on board video recording of the accident flight indicated that the helicopter departed downwind on a true heading of about 251 degrees. The pilot stated that "downwind takeoff was the reason for accident." He commented that the wind was "25 to 30 [knots] with gusts." The pilot stated that he had spoken to the operator's chief pilot the day before the accident "about the poor choice of performing this charter with high winds 25, gusting to 30." He further stated that on the morning of the accident he reiterated his concerns "about the required downwind takeoff at the remote site" to the company's operations manager. According to the operator, "the downwind departure resulted in the helicopter settling with an uncontrolled nose rotation to the left." The operator expressed the opinion that had the pilot performed a maximum performance confined area takeoff into the wind, the helicopter would have achieved effective translational lift to clear barriers without any incident or problems.
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
- 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: 19,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,024 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 5,350 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Makawao HI
- Destination: Kapalua HI
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 19 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from PHOG, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N130WS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.