# Accident 19971214038539A: Bell 407, Littleton, CO, December 14, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 14, 1997, 22:00 local time
- Place: Littleton, CO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Vertical (Helicopter Only)
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: QMLA
- Location: 39.5904° N, 105.0090° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5904&lon=-105.0090&mi=10
- Aircraft: N771AL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N771AL-1998-11-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 407 (registry code 1182206, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-407) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 407
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C47B
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Pilot flight hours: 4,118 total, 122 in this make and model, 39 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW98FA068](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98FA068) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971214038539A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT IMPACTED POWER LINES ON TAKEOFF. NURSES NOT UNDER SEAT BELTS. NIGHT CURTAINS NOT CLOSED. HINDERED VIEW. (.4)ON TAKEOFF FROM AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT SITE, WITH THE PATIENT ON BOARD, THE AIR AMBULANCE FLIGHT MADE A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN AND FLEW INTO POWER LINES.  WITNESS MARKS ON THE HELICOPTER PROVIDED EVIDENCE THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE TRANSMISSION LINE FROM BELOW AND IMPACTED THE GROUND IN AN INVERTED ATTITUDE BELOW AND TO THE WEST OF THE LINES.  LIGHT CONDITIONS WERE A DARK NIGHT WITH EMERGENCY RESPONSE, CONSTRUCTION, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLE LIGHTS ILLUMINATING THE LANDING SITE AREA.  THE EXISTENCE OF THE POWER LINES WAS UNKNOWN TO THE FIRE RESCUE ON-SCENE COMMANDER AND THE LIGHT CONDITIONS PREVENTED THE PILOT FROM SEEING ANYTHING OUTSIDE THE LIGHTED AREA.  THE UNMARKED POWER LINES WERE 622 FEET APART AND ORIENTED NORTHEAST/SOUTHWEST.  THE SOUTHERN TOWER WAS 106 FEET HIGH AND THE NORTHERN TOWER 83.5 FEET HIGH. THE TOWERS AND LINES DID NOT MEET OBSTRUCTION-MARKING CRITERIA AND WERE NOT MARKED. IN ADDITION, THEY WERE NOT DEPICTED ON SECTIONAL OR TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS.  COMPANY POLICY, PROMULGATED THROUGH DOCUMENTS AND TRAINING, PROVIDED                                     LANDING ZONE DEPARTURE PROCEDURES WHICH INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO CLIMB STRAIGHT AHEAD IN A NEAR VERTICAL CLIMB TO MINIMUM OF 300 FEET AGL BEFORE TURNING. THE HORIZONTAL DISTANCE FORM THE HELICOPTER'S TAKEOFF POSITION TO THE POWER LINE WAS APPROXIMATELY 630 FEET BASED ON GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) MEASUREMENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW98FA068](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98FA068), Dec 15, 1997: Bell 407 (N771AL), Littleton, CO, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's inability to maintain adequate visual lookout due to the lighting conditions and his failure to follow company procedures for departure from a landing zone. Factors were dark night…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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