Aerospatiale AS350-D N350RM

Summary

On 6 January 2005 at about 05:03 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350-D registered N350RM, operated by Air Methods Corporation, was involved in an accident near Falkner, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 January 2005 at 05:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Falkner, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

34.8219, -88.8925

Aircraft

Aerospatiale AS350-D

Registration

N350RM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Air Methods Corporation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Felkner → Tupelo

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL05FA038

1 person died.

The pilot's improper decision to attempt VFR flight into known instrument flight conditions and failure to maintain altitude clearance resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter collided with trees and the ground while flying level with rising terrain during low cloud and low visibility condition. The pilot had earlier flown to a highway accident site in order to transport injured persons to the hospital. During the attempted loading of the injured persons, the chin bubble of the helicopter was damaged, and consequently the flight was canceled. The injured persons were ground transported by ambulance. A mechanic was dispatched to the site and he encountered moderate rain and gusty winds while en route. The mechanic made a temporary repair to the damaged area of the helicopter. According to the mechanic, the pilot indicated the site was a flood area and with a forecast of more rain, he preferred to move the helicopter. The mechanic suggested to the pilot that he relocate the aircraft locally to a school or hospital after first hovering after lift off and evaluating the weather. The mechanic would then drive the pilot from the relocation site to the destination. The pilot did not acknowledge his suggestion and made a walk-around inspection of the helicopter, and checked his flight charts for obstructions. The pilot started the helicopter and departed. There is no record that the pilot obtained a weather briefing by radio or by cell phone before departing the accident site. The wreckage was located the following morning. Doxylamine, a sedating over-the-counter antihistamine used in sleep aids and multi-symptom cold relievers, was found in the pilot's blood on toxicological examination. Pseudoephedrine, a decongestant available in many multi-symptom cold relievers, was also found in the pilot's blood.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.