Dangers of Inappropriate Safety Equipment
NTSB Identification: WPR15LA257
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, September 03, 2015 in Manra Island, Kiribati
Aircraft: HUGHES 369HS, registration: N9068F
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On September 3, 2015, at 1752 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), a Hughes 369HS helicopter, N9068F, was destroyed following a forced landing into the Pacific Ocean about 300 nautical miles east of Manra Island, Republic of Kiribati. The El Salvadorian certificated helicopter pilot was fatally injured; the passenger sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was operated by Whirlwide Helicopters, Inc., Port Vila, Vanuatu. The local aerial observation flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight, which originated from a tuna fishing vessel 35 minutes prior to the accident.
In a written report to the NTSB, a representative from the operator stated that the pilot and passenger/spotter were conducting fish spotting duties when the accident occurred. He reported that the helicopter descended and impacted the water and rolled upside-down. The spotter exited the helicopter; he observed that the pilot's life vest had deployed while inside the helicopter, and the pilot was struggling to exit. He saw the pilot stop moving, but due to his injuries was unable to assist him. A nearby fishing vessel was able to recover the pilot and the passenger but the helicopter sank and was not recovered.
The operator reported that they issue the flight crews life vests, but that some pilots prefer to use their own vests. The accident pilot had his own vest, which was equipped with an auto-inflation activation system that would activate anytime the vest was submerged underwater.