Eurocopter AS350B N911AM

Summary

On 24 July 2000 at about 06:30 local time, a Eurocopter AS350B registered N911AM, operated by Critical Care Medflight, Inc., was involved in an accident near Sumner, Georgia, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 July 2000 at 06:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Sumner, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

31.5091, -83.7396

Aircraft

Eurocopter AS350B

Registration

N911AM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Critical Care Medflight, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Savannah → Sylvester

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL00FA069

3 people died.

The pilot experienced spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control of the helicopter. Contributing factors was the dark night.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.