ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36580
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| Date: | Friday 14 March 1997 |
| Time: | 02:45 LT |
| Type: |  MBB Bo 105CBS-4 |
| Owner/operator: | Petroleum Helicopters, Inc |
| Registration: | N7161J |
| MSN: | S 834 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1990 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3570 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Lena, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Shreveport, LA |
| Lafayette, LA (KLFT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During a dark night flight from Shreveport, Louisiana, to Lafayette, Louisiana, via Alexandria, Louisiana, the helicopter descended to 500 feet MSL due to weather, and was following Interstate 49 south over the northbound lanes. The pilot slowed the helicopter to 70 knots keeping pace with the traffic. The medical crewmember remembered 'feeling a shudder, like the shudder as the helicopter decelerates through effective translational lift.' He heard the pilot say an expletive and felt the helicopter begin to turn left. He saw sparks overhead and felt plexi glass hit him. Subsequently, the helicopter impacted the ground. During this sequence he lost visual orientation of the helicopter's position in relation to the ground. According to the company's Operations Manual, during nighttime hours, the air ambulance cross country VFR minimum ceiling is 1,000 feet and the minimum visibility is 3 miles. Any flight outside the local flying area is considered a cross-country operation. The medical crewmember reported that the ceiling was about 550 to 600 feet, and the visibility was approximately 2 miles. Examination of the helicopter did not reveal any structural or mechanical anomalies.
Probable Cause: The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his subsequent loss of aircraft control due to spatial disorientation. Factors were the pilot not following company procedures and directives, the low ceiling, and the dark night light condition.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97FA121
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 27-Oct-2012 08:50 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Phase, Narrative] |
| 27-Oct-2012 08:54 | TB | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Oct-2012 08:58 | TB | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 11-Oct-2016 14:41 | TB | Updated [Source] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 16:36 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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