ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 309060
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can
submit corrected information.
Date: | Thursday 9 March 2023 |
Time: | 19:57 LT |
Type: | Eurocopter EC 135P2 |
Owner/operator: | Med-Trans Corp (MTC) |
Registration: | N558MT |
MSN: | 1073 |
Year of manufacture: | 2012 |
Total airframe hrs: | 6067 hours |
Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney PW206B2 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | near Burningtown, NC -
United States of America
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Ambulance |
Departure airport: | Murphey, NC (5NC4) |
Destination airport: | Asheville, NC (NC95) |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:According to the pilot, prior to the flight, he determined the highest obstacle enroute was 6,100 ft with several 5,000 to 5,500 ft peaks along the route. In addition, he noted that during the flight, the end of evening nautical twilight would occur. After departure, he dialed 5,500 ft into the autopilot and leveled off. He went to don the night vision goggles and noted that they were on the copilot seat on top of an aircraft logbook. He went to move the logbook to the pilot door compartment, where it was typically stowed for flight, and decided to check the flight times against the times that maintenance was due. At that point, he noticed the cloud ceiling was lowering and dialed in 5,000 ft into the autopilot, then “went back heads down' to continue his review of the logbook. Then, the flight nurse asked for an updated estimated time enroute, and when the pilot looked up, he saw the helicopter was approaching a tree covered peak. He applied aft cyclic in order to climb; however the tail boom struck several trees, resulting in the vertical stabilizer separating from the tail boom. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a road, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper decision to review an aircraft logbook while enroute, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Accident investigation:
|
| |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Report number: | ERA23LA147 |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Duration: | |
Download report: | Final report |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA23LA147
https://aerossurance.com/air-accidents-incidents/ec135-air-ambulance-cfit-when-pilot-distracted-correcting-tech-log-errors/ FAA register:
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=558MT https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N558MT/history/20230309/2347Z/5NC4/L%2035.21491%20-83.52367 https://flightaware.com/photos/view/7901818-c4e79331d14ef928477fd87a3b80f0943efde200/aircraft/N558MT/sort/votes/page/1 (photo)
Location
Media:
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
11-Jun-2023 07:52 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated |
11-Jun-2023 07:56 |
harro |
Updated |
12-Jun-2023 10:14 |
Aerossurance |
Updated |
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation