Eurocopter Deutschland EC-135 P1 N311MS

Summary

On 18 December 2002 at about 05:58 local time, a Eurocopter Deutschland EC-135 P1 registered N311MS, operated by Metro Aviation, was involved in an accident near Loon Lake, Washington, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 December 2002 at 05:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Loon Lake, Washington, United States

Coordinates

48.0636, -117.6217

Aircraft

Eurocopter Deutschland EC-135 P1

Registration

N311MS

Category

Helicopter

Engines

2

Operator

Metro Aviation

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colville → Spokane

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03LA019

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) while in cruise flight, and an excessive descent rate. Factors include falling snow, whiteout conditions and dark night conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that when he departed Colville, the weather was mostly clear with a visibility of more than 10 miles. He stated that as the helicopter approached the area around Loon Lake (approximately 30 miles southeast of Colville) they encountered heavy snow showers. The pilot further stated that, "While attempting to slow the helicopter and either turn around or make a precautionary landing on a road (Hwy 395) the helicopter entered a high rate of descent. I ended up making a hard landing on Hwy 395 in pretty much a complete white out." The aviation area forecast (FA) issued at 1945 PST on December 17, valid during the accident time frame, reported widely scattered snow showers East of the Cascades, to include Northeastern Washington. The pilot reported that he obtained a weather briefing via the Data Transmission Network (DTN) prior to the flight from Spokane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.