Bell 407 N407LL
15 October 2007 · St Cloud, Minnesota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 October 2007 at about 23:30 local time, a Bell 407 registered N407LL, operated by Air Methods, Inc., was involved in an accident near St Cloud, Minnesota, United States. 3 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.
The record
- Date
- at 23:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- St Cloud, Minnesota, United States
- Nearest airport
- St Cloud Muni (STC)
- Coordinates
- 45.5533, -94.0733
- Aircraft
- Bell 407
- Registration
- N407LL
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Air Methods, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- St Cloud → Buffalo
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI08CA018
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to execute a go-around when a normal approach to the intended landing point could not be maintained. An additional cause was the excessive descent rate that developed during the approach. Contributing factors were the tailwind condition and the tree line.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he experienced a stuck microphone after takeoff and elected to return to the helipad for landing. He noted that reversing course for landing resulted in a right quartering tailwind on approach. The pilot reported that about 100 feet above ground level (agl), he noticed that the helicopter was not slowing down. His attempt to reduce the ground speed by "slipping" the aircraft was not successful. As the helicopter approached a line of trees, he turned toward an open area; however, the helicopter began to settle in the turn. He applied power in an attempt to reduce the descent rate and pitched up in order to position the helicopter for a hard landing. Although the descent rate began to decrease about 30 feet agl, the helicopter skids impacted the crest of a hill. The pilot added power and brought the helicopter to a hover, before landing near the heliport.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 407 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 2007 | Bell 407 | Gulf of Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Nov 2007 | Bell 407 | Morristown, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Dec 2007 | Bell 407 | Hig Island A595, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 2007 | Bell 407 | Warialda, Australia | Hunter Region Helicotper Rescue Service Ltd | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jan 2008 | Bell 407 | DeLand, Florida, United States | Volusia County Sheriff's Department | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 2006 | Bell 407 | Bangalore, India | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 2007 | Clifford TITAN TORNADO II | Henning, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Dec 2007 | Lerohl RV-8 | Alexandria, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2007 | Cessna 182 | Jasper, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Sep 2007 | Schweizer 300 CBI | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Hummingbird Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 2007 | Cessna 150H | Cook, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 2007 | Piper PA-31-350 | Walker, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |