FAA Releases Findings In Fatal Crash Of Helicopter Refurbished In Century

November 24, 2008

 

The Federal Aviation Administration has released its findings in the fatal Louisiana crash of a  flight that originated in Century with a refurbished helicopter from Van Nevel Helicopters, Inc.

The final report from the FAA says the crash resulted from a phenomenon known as “mast bumping”, a condition where an improper maneuver by the pilot causes the rotor mast to break off the aircraft.

The refurbished Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 refurbished in Century was sold to Leading Edge Helicopters, Inc. of Boulder City, Colorado, on September 16, 2007. The helicopter had an estimated 2,185 hours, 30 of those after its last inspection and complete refurbishment by Van Nevel.  The 420 horsepower engine on the aircraft  had about 2,155 hours, 30 post-inspection and approval.

It was about 6:30 on the warm late afternoon of September 17, 2007, near Hosston, Louisiana. A lady sees a helicopter that “was not moving fast” over her home, just over the treetops. It’s so low that she waves at the person in the passenger seat and thinks the chopper is going to land in her front yard.

Moments later, 911 dispatchers in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, begin to receive several calls from people that saw a low flying aircraft and then reported seeing smoke. Deputies from the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Department were not immediately able to find a crash, but a local medical helicopter found the smoldering wreckage. The bodies of Jeffery Daniel Legro, 24, and Joseph Benjamin Grammer, 36, were recovered at the crash site (pictured above). Grammer was owner of Leading Edge Helicopters.

In an exclusive interview with NorthEscambia.com in February, Georges Van Nevel suggested that the crash was caused by the weather, noting that a hurricane was approaching the area at the time of the crash, or by a phenomena called “mast bumping”. While the FAA agreed that the mast bumping action caused the crash, but they also found that weather was not a contributing cause of the crash.

Radar archives from the National Weather Service indicate that the rain bands from Humberto had not approached the Hosston area at the time of the crash. The radar image to the right shows the rain from Humberto about 30 minutes before the crash. The “X” in the white box was added to the National Weather Service archive image to indicate the approximate location of the FH1100 crash.

The official preliminary crash report from the NTSB as obtained by NorthEscambia.com reported the wind speed in nearby Shreveport, Louisiana, about 23 minutes after the crash to be four knots (about five miles per hour). Visibility was reported to be 10 miles under overcast skies, with the level of the overcast clouds to be 8,500 feet. There is no mention of rain in the report, nor does it mention whether or not there might have been wind gusts at the time from the approaching storm.

“The main rotor mast fracture signatures where consistent with mast bumping. Though there was evidence of a mast bumping event, the initiating event is unknown. Examination of the wreckage disclosed no anomalies that would have prevented normal system operation,” the FAA report said.

An autopsy and toxicology report on the pilot reported that he had no presence of alcohol or drugs in his system.

Pictured top: The Louisiana crash site of an FH-1100 helicopter flight that originated in Century after the aircraft was purchased from Van Nevel Helicopters, Inc.

Comments

7 Responses to “FAA Releases Findings In Fatal Crash Of Helicopter Refurbished In Century”

  1. Matthew Bernier on July 1st, 2016 11:35 pm

    Jeff was like a big brother to me, and the best friend anyone could have ever asked for. I miss him so much and it’s hard to believe it’s almost been ten years since this happened. Didn’t know benji but my condolences go out deeply to his family , this was a tragic loss.

  2. Adam Vest on October 7th, 2015 8:29 pm

    Till we meet again Jeff. R.I.P.

  3. Paul Sliwoski on May 10th, 2012 12:20 pm

    I miss you every day Jeff.. Happy BIrthday my brother. You are still here in our hearts, till we meet again.. I love you bro

  4. Mike Martinez on October 7th, 2010 3:47 pm

    R.I.P. Jeff, we miss you man.

  5. Terri Sanders on November 25th, 2008 8:22 am

    If you were around when the FAA came to Van Nevels plant after the accident, what they (FAA) did and how they did it was nothing short of some over zealous kids playing cops and robbers.

  6. Chuck on November 24th, 2008 8:47 pm

    I did’nt see where the FAA blamed the refurbishment if the aircraft on the accident, rather, they blamed “mast bumping” which a phenomenon often fatal to dual rotor aircraft. It is caused when a pilot performs a zero G or no load maneuver with the aircraft. Flying at low altitudes often produces this no load event and is supported by witnesses before the mishap. Pilot error as is often the case will be the root cause of the accident.

  7. Terri Sanders on November 24th, 2008 6:38 pm

    So,now that the FAA has succeeded in destroying Mr.Van Nevel’s business as well as his reputation,I hope they are happy with themselves and that they feel some sort of pleasure in knowing that the way they treated this whole investigation from the get go was nothing more than a glorified witch hunt.
    It is so comforting to know that big brother is out there protecting us from innocent people,or maybe ourselves.
    Mr.Van Nevel tried to stand up for himself and stand behind the reputation of his business but had both feet kicked out from under him by “well meaning” authorites.I just wish he could sue the FAA for what they did to him and his employees.
    We should all be very afraid for ourselves.Once again our legal system has proven that the ones at fault get all the benefits while the victims get the shaft.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News