Carson speaks out against NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that a series of improper actions by the contractor and insufficient oversight by the US Forest Service (USFS) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) led to the fatal crash of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter near Weaverville, California, on 5 August 2008. The pilot-in-command, the safety crewmember, and seven firefighters were fatally injured; the copilot and three firefighters were seriously injured. The contractor’s actions included the intentional alteration of weight documents and performance charts and the use of unapproved performance calculations, according to the NTSB.
The NTSB’s initial statement declares that ‘failure of flight crewmembers to address issues related to operating the helicopter at its maximum performance capability’ contributed to the accident, and that a lack of crash resistance in the cabin seats and fuel tanks contributed to the fatalities and survivors’ injuries. However, Carson Helicopters hit back against elements of the NTSB’s analysis, saying that the Board has ignored testimony ‘in favour of supposition’.  
The S-61N helicopter (N612AZ) was being operated by the USFS to transport firefighters battling forest fires. It impacted trees and terrain during the initial climb after take-off at a location about 6,000 ft above sea level in mountainous terrain. The USFS had contracted with Carson Helicopters, Inc. for the services of the helicopter, which was registered to the contractor and leased to Carson Helicopter Services, Inc..
NTSB chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said: “The probable cause of this accident had to do with Carson’s actions and the oversight entities’ inactions. Carson engaged in a bargain that violated the trust of their crewmembers, the firefighters that they carried onboard, and the aviation industry. But the FAA and the Forest Service did not hold up their end of the deal to oversee Carson’s actions.” She added: “Public aircraft have been made the orphans of the aviation industry. It’s now time for the FAA and other government agencies to step up and take responsibility.”
The NTSB has issued 11 new recommendations to the FAA and reiterated one from 2006, including that the FAA look at: oversight of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 operators with aircraft that can operate part of the time as public aircraft and part of the time as civil; clarification of oversight responsibilities for public aircraft, accuracy of hover performance charts, pilot performance, fuel tank crashworthiness, and occupant protection. To the USFS, the NTSB made ten recommendations, calling for the development of mission-specific operating standards for firefighter transport operations, a requirement that its contractors adhere to these standards, and the creation of an oversight programme that can monitor and ensure contractor compliance with all standards and requirements.
Although the Carson Helicopters accepted that there were ‘issues with one of the 36 performance charts and the weight estimate of the aircraft provided by a Carson employee’, the company contended that the primary cause of the accident was a loss of power to the number two engine of the aircraft: “There is a strong chain of physical evidence in the Public Docket that indicates a high probability that a malfunctioning fuel control unit (FCU) caused a sudden loss of power as the aircraft transitioned to forward flight. Extensive independent real-world flight testing has confirmed that even at weights exceeding what the NTSB has attributed to the accident aircraft, N612AZ should have had enough power to fly away from H44 with two properly operating engines. The co-pilot has confirmed much of this evidence with his recent testimony.” Carson added that the NTSB ‘has ignored [the copilot’s] testimony in favour of supposition’. Carson said it has repeatedly provided to the NTSB substantial evidence that the actual weight of N612AZ was several hundred pounds less than the NTSB has estimated.
The contractor went on to allege that the NTSB lost custody of several fuel control parts, and conducted a filter inspection incorrectly, saying that since that time, the NTSB has chosen to ignore the physical evidence and flight parameters that indicate a possible blockage in the FCU. Furthermore, there is a history of contamination and FCU power loss issues in the S61 Helicopter that was known by other parties, said Carson: “We regard this as an ongoing safety of flight issue and continue to pursue the source of the problem even as the body of evidence has grown indicating that a partial power loss was the major contributing factor to the loss of the crew and passengers of N612AZ.”

Read Carson Helicopter’s reaction in full at www.carsonhelicopters.com

Read a synopsis of the NTSB report at www.tinyurl.com/waypoint-s61