Aerospatiale AS-350-B3 N439AE
20 February 2003 · Clyde, Texas, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 20 February 2003 at about 22:00 local time, a Aerospatiale AS-350-B3 registered N439AE was involved in an accident near Clyde, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Clyde, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.4111, -99.6817
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-350-B3
- Registration
- N439AE
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Abilene → Eastland
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW03LA112
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
the pilot's delayed remedial action and his continued flight into known adverse weather conditions. A contributing factor was the excessive descent rate which resulted in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During a repositioning flight, the helicopter landed hard after the pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Prior to departure, the pilot checked the weather for a flight to pick up a patient at another hospital. At the time of the departure, the pilot stated the ceiling was at 1,100 feet and the visibility was 7 miles. Shortly after departure, the weather started to deteriorate and the helicopter encountered IMC. The flight paramedic stated the weather deteriorated rapidly while enroute and requested more than once for the pilot to abort the flight. Prior to reversing direction, the pilot slowed the helicopter and initiated a descent. The pilot was unaware of the descent rate and was unable to slow the descent prior to impacting the terrain. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard and came to rest upright on a roadway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS-350 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jan 2003 | Aerospatiale AS-350-BA | Venice, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Dec 2000 | Aerospatiale AS-350-BA | Henderson, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 May 1998 | Aerospatiale AS-350-B2 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 13 Dec 1998 | Aerospatiale AS-350-BA | San Angelo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 2008 | Aerospatiale AS-350-D | Avalon, California, United States | Island Express Helicopters | Fatal | 3 |
| 31 May 1995 | Aerospatiale AS-350-B2 | Skagway, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 2003 | Piper PA-18A-150 | Roanoke, Texas, United States | Marcair | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2003 | Robinson R22 BETA | Ozona, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 2003 | Cessna 550 | Mineral Wells, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2003 | Robinson R22 BETA | Houston, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 2003 | Boeing A75N1 | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Apex CAP 10B | Gladewater, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |