Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429 N505TJ

Summary

On 7 October 2021 at about 01:16 local time, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429 registered N505TJ, operated by Mercy Flight Inc, was involved in an accident near Batavia, New York, United States. 4 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.

Date

7 October 2021 at 01:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Batavia, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Genesee County (GVQ)

Coordinates

43.0342, -78.1679

Aircraft

Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429

Registration

N505TJ

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2010

Engines

2

Operator

Mercy Flight Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rochester → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA22LA007

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to disengage the autopilot prior to climbing out of a fog bank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he decided to perform a practice approach to the runway using night vision goggles. He set up the approach and activated the autopilot. About 200 ft above the ground, the helicopter inadvertently entered a fog bank and the pilot lost visual reference to the runway. He attempted to perform a climbing right turn but forgot to deactivate the autopilot. The autopilot initiated a descent into the fog, the pilot maintained a level attitude, and shortly thereafter the helicopter impacted the ground and bounced. The pilot attempted to initiate a climb; however, the helicopter impacted the ground a second time, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.