ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 244459
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| Date: | Monday 26 October 2020 |
| Time: | 23:37 LT |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Air Methods Corp |
| Registration: | N530H |
| MSN: | 4553 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2008 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7706 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Arenas Valley, Grant County, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Silver City, NM (NM85) |
| Silver City, NM (94E) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to relocate the helicopter to a hangar at a nearby airport before a winter storm impacted the area. The pilot took off in moderate visual meteorological conditions and moderate rain; but as the helicopter neared the airport, the precipitation turned from rain to snow. The pilot turned final about 1 mile north of the airport when the precipitation increased, and the visibility reduced. The helicopter impacted terrain about 200 yards north of the runway surface in a mostly level attitude before it rolled onto its left side. The fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude above terrain while operating in reduced visibility due to snow showers.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR21LA027
Location
Media:
#NTSB report on Air Methods AS350B3 Night CFIT in Snow: Repositioning to avoid a storm, this air ambulance crashed just short of its destination on a 3-minute flight. https://t.co/tibz3AluUy #helicopter #airambulance #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/GK9BTtjiJZ
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) August 21, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2020 11:24 | Notarhelicopters | Added |
| 28-Oct-2020 11:59 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Oct-2020 12:00 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 28-Oct-2020 12:53 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Oct-2020 13:12 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 28-Oct-2020 13:13 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Aircraft type] |
| 28-Oct-2020 14:46 | harro | Updated [Source] |
| 27-Feb-2021 19:04 | rudy | Updated [[Source]] |
| 21-Aug-2021 17:31 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 07-Jul-2022 18:21 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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