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In an apparent mast moment indicator check; a BK117 pilot was distracted by another helicopter landing nearby and momentarily exceeded the mast moment limit.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1098953 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201307 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | MBB-BK 117 All Series |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Other Non-Flight |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Check Pilot Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence |
Narrative:
While performing a maintenance flight on the ramp; a mast moment exceedance occurred. Aircraft was light on the skids and in a nose high attitude. Company aircraft was landing approximately 75 feet left of our aircraft. I momentarily glanced at the company aircraft and the warning 'gong' sounded. I glanced at the vemd and immediately lowered the nose of the aircraft. Upon shutdown; the flight report showed an exceedance of the mast moment. I have performed this check many times before with no exceedances occurring. The fact that I went outside the cockpit for an instant was a major contributor to the situation. Another contributing factor was a slight (<10 knots) tailwind. At the time the check was being performed; there were five mechanics on board; close to full fuel; and additional weight to increase the gross weight of the aircraft. If the procedure could be performed in a hover; the risk of mast moment exceedance would be eliminated. Another alternative could be; tie the aircraft down when conducting this check.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: In an apparent mast moment indicator check; a BK117 pilot was distracted by another helicopter landing nearby and momentarily exceeded the mast moment limit.
Narrative: While performing a maintenance flight on the ramp; a mast moment exceedance occurred. Aircraft was light on the skids and in a nose high attitude. Company aircraft was landing approximately 75 feet left of our aircraft. I momentarily glanced at the company aircraft and the warning 'gong' sounded. I glanced at the VEMD and immediately lowered the nose of the aircraft. Upon shutdown; the flight report showed an exceedance of the mast moment. I have performed this check many times before with no exceedances occurring. The fact that I went outside the cockpit for an instant was a major contributor to the situation. Another contributing factor was a slight (<10 knots) tailwind. At the time the check was being performed; there were five mechanics on board; close to full fuel; and additional weight to increase the gross weight of the aircraft. If the procedure could be performed in a hover; the risk of mast moment exceedance would be eliminated. Another alternative could be; tie the aircraft down when conducting this check.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.