| Date: | Tuesday 26 July 2022 |
| Time: | 04:55 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin 2 |
| Owner/operator: | Air Methods Corp (AMC) opf Miami Valley Hospital |
| Registration: | N520CF |
| MSN: | 6537 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hamilton, OH -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | Lebanon-Warren County Airport, OH (I68) |
| Hamilton, OH | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On July 26, 2022, at 0455 eastern daylight time, a Eurocopter AS365N3, N520CF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hamilton, Ohio. The pilot and two crew members sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air medical flight.
The pilot was conducting an air medical flight in the helicopter during early morning hours in dark night visual meteorological conditions. About 9 miles out from the intended landing zone, he contacted on-scene fire department personnel and asked for site information. The fire department personnel reported that there were high voltage power lines on the south side of the landing zone. The pilot made an approach and was looking out for the powerlines but could not locate the wires. He was wearing night vision goggles and could see the tower but not the wires. He also could not determine which way the wires were running off the tower. The pilot used the landing light and moved it up and down to try and find the wires but could not locate them. He thought the wires were farther out from the landing zone and not below the helicopter. However, as the helicopter descended for landing, the main rotor blades contacted the wires and the helicopter fell about 30 to 50 ft. All three crew members egressed after the pilot shut down the engines. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades, main rotor gearbox, and motor mounts; additionally, the left engine was hanging off the side of the helicopter.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s decision to continue the landing without having visually identified wires that were known to be in the vicinity of the landing zone, which resulted in a collision with the wires while attempting an off-airport landing in dark night visual meteorological conditions.
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https://700wlw.iheart.com/content/2022-07-26-careflight-helicopter-crashes-in-butler-county/
https://local12.com/news/local/medical-helicopter-crashes-near-scene-of-accident-in-butler-county
https://aerossurance.com/air-accidents-incidents/air-ambulance-night-wirestrike-at-poorly-chosen-landing-site/
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=520CF
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a68926&lat=39.506&lon=-84.599&zoom=17.4&showTrace=2022-07-26&trackLabels×tamp=1658824619
https://photos-e1.flightcdn.com/photos/retriever/caa29dc6cbb1e1dcd339a2c3650725fbefda2242
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 4 July 2010 | N520CF | Air Methods Corp | 0 | Dayton, Ohio | |
min |
Photo: NTSB
New NTSB report: A Fire Dept set up a landing site at night under the edge of powerlines. The HEMS pilot looked for the wires using NVGs but could only see the towers. https://t.co/Wo1hug010v #airambulance #helicopter #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/FdoLgvhv0w
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) February 12, 2024
ADDITIONALLY:
— Kelly Rippin WLWT (@KellyRippin) July 26, 2022
Careflight was called to the scene, but was damaged during landing. @WLWT working to learn if everyone is okay & how it potentially impacted the crash response. pic.twitter.com/FxjXxCgriy
Details are limited at this time. We are praying for the CareFlight team members involved. https://t.co/VZp5IAANnU
— AAMS (@AAMS) July 26, 2022
The Butler Co. Sheriff’s Office says A 69-year-old woman from Richmond, IN is the person who died in the car accident that brought the CareFlight helicopter to the area before it crashed. @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/o0QpBmAc2c
— Kody Fisher (@KodyFisherTV) July 26, 2022
#BREAKING: Careflight has crashed responding to a car crash that happened in Butler County involving multiple vehicles. U.S. 127 at Eaton Rd. in Milford Township is closed. There are injuries reported. We are working to learn more details. @WDTN pic.twitter.com/ylZcIBv9s3
— Kelley King (@WDTNKelleyKing) July 26, 2022
CareFlight reports ‘hard landing’ at deadly vehicle crash site in Butler County https://t.co/LMRuHKfQTl
— Michael D. Clark (@MichaelDClark1) July 26, 2022
This is the medical helicopter out of Dayton area that crashed into power lines and went down near the vehicle crash scene pic.twitter.com/vp9la7TurW
— FOX19 NOW (@FOX19) July 26, 2022
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jul-2022 10:37 | harro | Added |
| 26-Jul-2022 10:42 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Category] |
| 26-Jul-2022 10:44 | harro | Updated [Date, Time, Source] |
| 26-Jul-2022 13:47 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 26-Jul-2022 13:48 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 26-Jul-2022 13:51 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 26-Jul-2022 13:52 | Aerossurance | Updated [Destination airport, Embed code] |
| 26-Jul-2022 13:54 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
| 26-Jul-2022 15:11 | johnwg | Updated [Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 09-Aug-2022 18:44 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Aug-2022 05:49 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 07-Feb-2024 22:11 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Operator, Phase, Source, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
| 11-Feb-2024 18:49 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Source, Category] |
| 12-Feb-2024 10:32 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
| 12-Feb-2024 10:33 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
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