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GAA18CA138

2018-02-18 · New Iberia, Louisiana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport ARA

N860AL has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (ZIPLINE INTERNATIONAL INC P2 ZIP), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The helicopter’s striking of a pothole while taxiing, which resulted in the right main landing gear collapsing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while the co-pilot was taxiing the wheel-equipped helicopter to the runway for departure, he saw a "bump" on the concrete. The co-pilot reported that he attempted to stop before the "bump", which turned out to be a pothole, but the helicopter struck the pothole with the right main landing gear, which collapsed. The pilot and the co-pilot both reported that the taxi speed was less than 5 knots. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the internal fuselage structure. The Director of Operations reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, while the copilot was taxiing the wheel-equipped helicopter to the runway for departure, he saw a "bump" on the concrete. The copilot reported that he attempted to stop before the "bump," which turned out to be a pothole, but the helicopter struck the pothole with the right main landing gear, which collapsed. The pilot and the copilot both reported that the taxi speed was less than 5 knots. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the internal fuselage structure. The Director of Operations reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-(general)-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA138.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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