Bell 222U N417MA

Summary

On 7 September 2002 at about 11:30 local time, a Bell 222U registered N417MA, operated by Mercy Air Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Nipton, California, 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

7 September 2002 at 11:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Nipton, California, United States

Coordinates

35.5375, -115.4169

Aircraft

Bell 222U

Registration

N417MA

Category

Helicopter

Engines

2

Operator

Mercy Air Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pahrump → Baker

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX02FA276

3 people died.

The main rotor blade separation while maneuvering for unknown reasons. A factor was the dark night condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

At 0401, in dark night conditions, the helicopter departed its hospital base en route to an automobile accident. At 0414 the flight crew informed the ambulance crew at the accident site that they were 16 minutes out. At 0416 the flight crew made a radio call to company dispatch informing them that operations were normal. At 0420 the flight crew contacted the ambulance crew a second time and informed them that they were 3 minutes out. At 0427 company dispatch personnel made two attempts to contact the flight crew, both of which were unsuccessful. After passing over an interstate highway, the helicopter impacted terrain in a near 45 degree nose low attitude. Two witnesses observed the helicopter flying low and slow, one estimating between 150 to 200 feet, and shining its searchlight before hitting the ground. Another witness reported seeing a very strong light sweeping across the ground from side to side and traveling at a very low height, comparing it to a police helicopter hovering low when searching, and said the helicopter appeared to be trying to land. Examination of the accident site revealed evidence of a main rotor blade separation with a debris field consisting of main rotor blade skin, honeycomb, and paint chips located 938 feet upstream of the main impact crater. Post-accident examination of the helicopter's component parts, including the main rotor blades, failed to reveal the cause for the main rotor blade separation. Examination of the aircraft's engines revealed no pre-impact anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.