ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 30606
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| Date: | Tuesday 9 March 1999 |
| Time: | 18:55 LT |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas MD 600N |
| Owner/operator: | San Bernardino Cty Sheriff Dpt |
| Registration: | N626SB |
| MSN: | RN024 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1997 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 266 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C47M |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Rialto, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Rialto, CA (L67) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During a routine law enforcement patrol flight, the pilot responded to the 4,700-foot mean sea level mountainside to investigate circumstances related to an apparent abandoned vehicle. Upon arriving at the site, the pilot performed a toe-in landing to discharge his crewmember. The crewmember proceeded to evaluate the vehicle while the pilot orbited the area. While orbiting, the pilot observed that low elevation clouds were approaching. However, the visibility initially was about 10 miles, and the cloud height appeared between 500 and 600 feet above the ground. After a few minutes, the crewmember returned to the helicopter, and they departed. Seconds after taking off the pilot lost visual reference with the ground. The pilot further indicated that he continued flying by reference to his flight instruments and the helicopter began spinning. Between 1 and 1.5 minutes later the spinning stopped, and the helicopter lost altitude until impacting the mountainside.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper in-flight decision to maneuver in the area while observed inclement weather approached, which led to a loss of control. Contributing factors were the low ceilings, mountainous terrain and spatial disorientation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX99TA115
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 25 March 2009 | C-GOHN | Oceanview Helicopters | 0 | near Toba Inlet, BC |  |
w/o |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Dec-2010 05:25 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 27-Feb-2013 08:10 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Narrative] |
| 27-Feb-2013 10:15 | TB | Updated [Operator] |
| 26-Nov-2017 10:53 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-May-2023 08:02 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]] |
| 08-Apr-2024 08:53 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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