| On December 14, 2005, at approximately 1550 mountain standard time, an
Aerospatiale SA 319B, Alouette III helicopter, N3194K, was destroyed during
a landing attempt in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, near
Escalante, Utah. The commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured;
however, two passengers were seriously injured. The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) was operating the helicopter as a Public Use aircraft.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that
had originated at Page, Arizona, approximately 30 minutes before the
accident. No flight plan had been filed; BLM personnel stated that the
purpose of the flight was to distribute hunters for eradication of feral
cattle.
The pilot stated that the landing/touchdown was normal. He said that he
had reduced collective when the first side-to-side motion commenced. The
following ground resonance separated the transmission/rotor system and the
engine in three to four seconds. All occupants exited the aircraft under
their own power.
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AVIATION
MANAGEMENT
