FlarePath

What happened

NTSB summary, verbatim

The helicopter air ambulance flight was en route to pick up a patient when company satellite tracking was lost at an altitude about 1,250 ft mean sea level. The helicopter impacted a reservoir bank and a postimpact fire consumed a majority of the fuselage. Examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination of the wreckage found multiple bird remains, identified as snow geese, were located in the cockpit and embedded in the pilot's clothing and boot. Fragments of a night vision goggle (NVG) system near the pilot's position suggest that the pilot was using them for visual navigation; however, there was no moon illumination to enhance the NVG effectiveness, and it is unlikely that the pilot would have been able to visually detect the birds before impact. While the helicopter flight controls were continuous, it could not be determined if the bird strikes jammed the pilot's controls and/or incapacitated the pilot.

Photographs

1the aircraft, and what the investigators found

Wreckage and site documentation · 1 photographs from the docket

Photographs are NTSB docket attachments — works of the US government, in the public domain. Captions are the Board’s own.

Probable cause

the Board's determination

An in-flight loss of control due to bird strikes.

Occurrence sequence

1 stepsNTSB coding · CICTT taxonomy

1 · Enroute-cruise
Birdstrike
defining event

Findings

4 causal · 0 contributing

CAUSE
Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) — Awareness of condition
CAUSE
Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) — Effect on equipment
CAUSE
Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) — Effect on personnel
CAUSE
Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) — Effect on operation

NTSB analysis

from the final report

The helicopter air ambulance flight was en route to pick up a patient when company satellite tracking was lost at an altitude about 1,250 ft mean sea level. The helicopter impacted a reservoir bank and a postimpact fire consumed a majority of the fuselage. Examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination of the wreckage found multiple bird remains, identified as snow geese, were located in the cockpit and embedded in the pilot's clothing and boot. Fragments of a night vision goggle (NVG) system near the pilot's position suggest that the pilot was using them for visual navigation; however, there was no moon illumination to enhance the NVG effectiveness, and it is unlikely that the pilot would have been able to visually detect the birds before impact. While the helicopter flight controls were continuous, it could not be determined if the bird strikes jammed the pilot's controls and/or incapacitated the pilot.