Aerospatiale SA365N-1 D N92MD

Summary

On 28 September 2008 at about 03:58 local time, a Aerospatiale SA365N-1 D registered N92MD, operated by Maryland State Police, was involved in an accident near District Heights, Maryland, United States. 5 people were on board and 4 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 September 2008 at 03:58

Classification

Accident

Location

District Heights, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Andrews A.F.B. (ADW)

Coordinates

38.8708, -76.8767

Aircraft

Aerospatiale SA365N-1 D

Registration

N92MD

Category

Helicopter

Engines

2

Operator

Maryland State Police

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Waldorf → Andrews AFB

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MIA08MA203

4 people died.

The pilot's attempt to regain visual conditions by performing a rapid descent and his failure to arrest the descent at the minimum descent altitude during a nonprecision approach. Contributing to the accident were (1) the pilot’s limited recent instrument flight experience, (2) the lack of adherence to effective risk management procedures by the Maryland State Police, (3) the pilot’s inadequate assessment of the weather, which led to his decision to accept the flight,, (4) the failure of the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (PCT) controller to provide the current Andrews Air Force Base weather observation to the pilot, and (5) the increased workload on the pilot due to inadequate Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control handling by the Ronald Reagan National Airport Tower and PCT controllers.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2009/AAR0907.pdf. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-09/07 On September 27, 2008, about 2358 eastern daylight time, an Aerospatiale (Eurocopter) SA365N1, N92MD, call sign Trooper 2, registered to and operated by the Maryland State Police (MSP) as a public medical evacuation flight, impacted terrain about 3.2 miles north of the runway 19R threshold at Andrews Air Force Base (ADW), Camp Springs, Maryland, during an instrument landing system approach. The commercial pilot, one flight paramedic, one field provider, and one of two automobile accident patients being transported were killed. The other patient being transported survived with serious injuries from the helicopter accident and was taken to a local hospital. The helicopter was substantially damaged when it collided with trees and terrain in Walker Mill Regional Park, District Heights, Maryland. The flight originated from a landing zone at Wade Elementary School, Waldorf, Maryland, about 2337, destined for Prince George's Hospital Center, Cheverly, Maryland. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the departure; however, Trooper 2 encountered instrument meteorological conditions en route to the hospital and diverted to ADW. No flight plan was filed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and none was required. The MSP System Communications Center (SYSCOM) was tracking the flight using global positioning system data transmitted with an experimental Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast communications link.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.