ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 34956
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: | Monday 24 July 2000 |
| Time: | 02:30 |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 350B AStar |
| Owner/operator: | Lifeflight |
| Registration: | N911AM |
| MSN: | 1319 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4814 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Sumner, GA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, GA (SAV) |
| Sylvester Airport, GA (SYV) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On July 24, 2000, about 0230 eastern daylight time, a Eurocopter AS350B, N911AM, registered to and operated by Critical Care Medflight, was destroyed when it collided with trees and the ground during cruise flight 2 miles east of Sumner, Georgia. The commercial pilot, one flight nurse and one flight paramedic were fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the repositioning flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Savannah, Georgia, at 0100, with an intended destination of Sylvester, Georgia.
The flight was returning to the Worth County Baptist Hospital in Sylvester, Georgia. At approximately 0227, the pilot contacted the LifeFlight dispatcher and reported a Global Position System (GPS) location 7 miles west/northwest of Tifton, Georgia. No further communication was received from the pilot. Witnesses in the sparsely populated local area stated that it was a dark night and at about 0230 they heard the helicopter fly over their homes. They said the sky was clear of clouds and that the helicopter was low, maybe 400 to 500 feet above the ground. One witness stated that he watched the helicopter fly until out of site then heard a "pop sound" he said it sounded unusual and was not very loud. The flight failed to arrive at its final destination of Sylvester, Georgia. Examination of the wreckage found it localized in a heavily wooded area, with the skids buried in the ground with the trailing ends protruding upward at about a 70-degree angle. No pre-existing airframe or engine malfunctions were identified during the post crash examination.
Probable Cause: The pilot experienced spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control of the helicopter. Contributing factors was the dark night.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X21362&key=1
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=N911AM
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 09-Jul-2014 02:35 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Nov-2017 09:23 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Dec-2017 18:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation