ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 201512
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| Date: | Sunday 19 November 2017 |
| Time: | 18:55 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 407 |
| Owner/operator: | Air Methods Corp (AMC) |
| Registration: | N620PA |
| MSN: | 54610 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2015 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1055 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls Royce 250-C-47B/8 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near DeWitt, Arkansas County, AR -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | Pines Bluff, AR |
| Helena, AR | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter air ambulance flight was en route to pick up a patient when company satellite tracking was lost at an altitude about 1,250 ft mean sea level. The helicopter impacted a reservoir bank and a postimpact fire consumed a majority of the fuselage. Examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
A postaccident examination of the wreckage found multiple bird remains, identified as snow geese, were located in the cockpit and embedded in the pilot's clothing and boot. Fragments of a night vision goggle (NVG) system near the pilot's position suggest that the pilot was using them for visual navigation; however, there was no moon illumination to enhance the NVG effectiveness, and it is unlikely that the pilot would have been able to visually detect the birds before impact. While the helicopter flight controls were continuous, it could not be determined if the bird strikes jammed the pilot's controls and/or incapacitated the pilot.
Probable Cause: An in-flight loss of control due to bird strikes.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N620PA
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/deadly-dusk-hems-bird-strike
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
(Three killed in Arkansas medical helicopter crash) has been published on News Paper Time - https://t.co/IsJ6qlm47L pic.twitter.com/M57OAvHYXD
— News Paper Time (@Newspapertime6) 20 novembre 2017
Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright comments on the medical helicopter crash near DeWitt that killed 3. @KATVNews pic.twitter.com/pgSlDpiXJP
— Brian Emfinger (@brianemfinger) 20 novembre 2017
A #helicopter #airambulance in cruise at c1,000 ft struck multiple geese, crashing with loss of 3 lives. Bird strike risk was 'severe' according to USAF modelling, available online as a planning tool. https://t.co/md3Wd09gaK #accident #birdstrike #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/n2IJF0r8R9
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) November 7, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Nov-2017 10:36 | gerard57 | Added |
| 20-Nov-2017 13:31 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Location] |
| 20-Nov-2017 13:32 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location] |
| 20-Nov-2017 16:51 | Geno | Updated [Time, Source] |
| 20-Nov-2017 17:01 | Geno | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 21-Nov-2017 00:22 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 21-Nov-2017 05:24 | Geno | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code] |
| 21-Nov-2017 07:19 | Chieftain | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 21-Nov-2017 11:42 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 01-Dec-2017 15:30 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Jan-2018 17:39 | Strlyn | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 11-Nov-2018 08:32 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 11-Nov-2018 09:10 | harro | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, Photo] |
| 09-Jun-2020 08:42 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location] |
| 07-Nov-2020 15:18 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Embed code, Accident report] |
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