NTSB ERA21LA043 — 2020-11-14 · Hammonton, New Jersey, United States

Current FAA registration · N712CA

Make / Model: AEROSPATIALE AS 355F2
Year of manufacture: 1987 · 33 years old at event
Engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C20F (420 hp)
Seats / Engines: 7 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date: 20191022
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A983AE

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N712CA Aerospatiale AS355 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to continue the takeoff with a perceived mechanical deficiency.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported he was departing from a dolly connected to a Kubota. During the initial collective input, he believed he had a stuck tail rotor pedal but continued the takeoff attempt because he “wasn’t afraid of a stuck pedal.” As the helicopter started to slide left off the dolly, he increased collective, the helicopter spun to the left and impacted the Kubota, resulting in substantial damage to the tail rotor and tail boom. A post-accident examination was unable to determine a definitive mechanical, hydraulic or electrical malfunction or anomaly that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ERA21LA043.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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