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Old 24th Mar 2014, 15:49
  #61 (permalink)  
turboshaft
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
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Jim,

Of those three, only one (N103LN) has an undetermined cause, despite "Examination of the helicopter control system [having] revealed no anomalies and all system components functioned appropriately when tested."

N851BP was attributed to "The pilot's encounter with a vortex ring state and his inability to maintain control of the helicopter."

N157BC was attributed to "The pilot's loss of situational awareness resulting in CFIT."

It's understandable that we as pilots are suspicious of any accident blamed on pilot error - especially in fatals, where the pilot is not there to defend himself - but studies have shown time and time again that pilot judgement & actions are factors in >80% of accidents.

Back to the AS350, if you have stats that show the AStar has suffered proportionally more undetermined accidents than other types, then that would be worth sharing. Until then I refuse to buy in to the conspiracy angle.

It would surely be worth focusing more on the question of whether the EC130 T2's "crashworthy" fuel tank will be carried over to the AS350?
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