Aerospatiale AS350 N346AE
11 January 2019 · Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 January 2019 at about 17:45 local time, a Aerospatiale AS350 registered N346AE, operated by Air Evac Ems Inc, was involved in an accident near Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States. 2 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 17:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States
- Nearest airport
- Ponca City Regional Airport (PNC)
- Coordinates
- 36.7253, -97.1019
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350
- Registration
- N346AE
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1996
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Air Evac Ems Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ponca City → Ponca City
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN19LA068
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during the hover operation while his view was obstructed due to the fogged-over windshield.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot and an air ambulance crewmember were repositioning the helicopter due to incoming inclement weather. About halfway into the flight, the front windshields were fogging over, and the pilot increased the demister. Upon reaching the destination, the pilot hovered near the company hangar; by this time, the windshields had completely fogged over. The crewmember warned the pilot that he was getting close to the hangar, which was on the helicopter's left side. The pilot felt that he was high enough off the ground to move the helicopter several feet to the right, but the right skid was too low and contacted the ground, which resulted in a dynamic rollover. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the rotor blades, fuselage, and tailboom. Based on the available information, the dynamic rollover was a result of the pilot's failure to maintain altitude during the hover operation with a fogged-over windshield.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale AS350 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Mar 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Montgomery, Texas, United States | Mountain Air Helicopters Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Apr 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | Coastal Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 12 Dec 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Wucher Helicopter | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Sula, Montana, United States | Mission Mountain Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 2019 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Coldfoot, Alaska, United States | Trans North Turbo Air Limited | No injuries | - |
| 18 Feb 2020 | Aerospatiale AS350 | Tampa, Florida, United States | Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 2019 | Piper PA60 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2019 | Lindstrand 105A | Lawton, Oklahoma, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 2019 | Cessna 150 | Cordell, Oklahoma, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2019 | Israel 1124 | Yukon, Oklahoma, United States | Sundance Airport FBO LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Mar 2019 | Robinson R22 | Madill, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2019 | Piper PA28 | Chickasha, Oklahoma, United States | Chickasha Wings Inc | No injuries | - |